A young Tongan who suffered a severe spinal injury in a swimming accident at the weekend has been sent to New Zealand with the help of a group of local business people, who are now fundraising for her treatment.

Thirteen-year-old Natasha Malm, of Nuku'alofa, was visiting Pangaimotu Island with her family on April 10, when she misjudged the depth of the water and dived off a pontoon into shallow water, damaging her spine and leaving her paralysed from the chest down.

Friends of Natasha heard about the accident and organised her evacuation. Diane Warner, a business woman together with other local business people, including Sue Gardner, the local manager of Air New Zealand, felt the pain that Natasha and her family was going through, particularly when they discovered that Tonga...’s national hospital, Vaiola, does not have the facility to treat such an injury.

Diane said that between them a group of mainly expatriate business people put up funds for Natasha, accompanied by her mother ...‘Asanita and Dr Sam Mesol to travel on Air New Zealand to Auckland, on Thursday, April 14.

Following an assessment of Natasha...’s case at Starship Hospital it was recommended for her to go to the Burwood Spinal clinic in Christchurch.

Diane, of the Warner Accounting and Financial Services, said that the cost for Natasha...’s medical care ranges from $800 to $1,200 a day, and they want to raise $50,000 to help cover Natasha's medical and rehabilitation treatment, plus the living expenses for her mother.

Diane and friends of Natasha have organized a number of fund-raising activities. On Saturday April 23 there will be a Fashion Parade at the Billfish Bar, tickets are $15 per head. A raffle and an auction night will be held at the Nuku'alofa Club on May 6.

Diane said that donation boxes are already in supermarkets and banks in Nuku...’alofa, and they had opened a bank account for Natasha at the Westpac Bank of Tonga.

Besides fund raising for Natasha, the Natasha Fund-raising Group was also looking at raising funds for a unit at Vaiola, to improve handling of severe spinal injuries.

Other cases

There are currently four other young people who are lying at Vaiola Hospital in Nuku'alofa with serious spinal injuries, some with not a hope of getting overseas treatment.