By PETER DOUGLAS
THE saying ‘no good deed goes unnoticed’ rings true for one Ferntree Gully local.
After campaigning strongly for others in need, over many years, Catherine Bye received a dose of good karma in the form of a life-changing wheelchair.
The donation came after a chance meeting, and will significantly improve her independence, allowing her to complete tasks such as shopping, feeding her pet chooks, or simply heading outdoors more often to enjoy the nice weather.
When she was just in her teens, Catherine was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia, which is a degenerative disease that affects the central nervous system.
She believes there could be fewer than 500 people in Australia with FA, with most of those with the disorder eventually needing full-time use of a wheelchair.
“I first remember having difficulties with co-ordination, and I thought, something is not right,” she said.
“It took them some time to work out exactly what was wrong, but they finally diagnosed me with FA.”
Catherine said it was a genetic disorder, where both parents should be carriers of the gene.
But, even then, only one in four people will develop symptoms of FA, which include slurring of speech, difficulty swallowing and numbness of limbs.
“Neither of my parents were aware they carried the gene, and most people are unaware they’re carriers,” she said.
She said not much was widely known about FA, and there was much research to be done, which was one reason she sat on the committee of Friedreich’s Ataxia Association of Victoria and had helped with numerous fund-raising initiatives.
But it seems all that good work was being noticed, with a chance meeting between their friend, musician Ben Kelly, and a Good Samaritan seeking to find a good home for the motorised wheelchair, which comes complete with a scissor-lift seat.
Chair donor Steve Cowling met Ben while the musician was busking, which proved the link in finding the right home for the wheelchair.
Mr Cowling said the wheelchair had been in the possession of his now deceased father.
“It’s a really good chair, so we wanted to give it to someone who really needed it – or who otherwise might not be able to have access to a chair,” he said.
“Catherine is a lovely person, so it’s great to be able to help her.
“On behalf of the entire Cowling family, we are proud and privileged to donate our wheelchair to Catherine.”
Mr Cowling’s family include siblings Janice Cowling, Peter Cowling, David Cowling, Kathryn Dodd, Dawn Sanchez and Ann Worraii.
Meanwhile, Catherine encouraged the community to find out more about FA and consider helping the FAAV, which is run by people with FA and their families.
The organisation aims to raise awareness and provide funds for further research.
FAAV also provides much-needed physical and social activities for FA until a treatment can be found.
For more details on FA, or to find out how you can help, visit www.faav.com.au.
