General News
12 June, 2024
I try to get home whenever I can, says Normanton dialysis patient
Eleven-hour bus trips are the norm for Clarence Bynoe.
Clarence Bynoe can spend up to 44 hours on a bus each week as he juggles his family commitments in Normanton with a total of 15 hours of dialysis treatment in Cairns each week.
Mr Bynoe said it takes about 11 hours to cross between Cairns and Normanton via bus, meaning two round trips for treatment forces him to sit in a bus seat almost three times as long as he sits at the hospital actually receiving the life-saving haemodialysis care he requires.
The 52-year-old and his partner Beverley are responsible for several of their grandchildren living in Normanton but have been forced to spend the past three years navigating the Queensland medical service between Mount Isa, Townsville and Cairns due to a lack of renal services in the Gulf.
Mr Bynoe said not only is the constant travel exhausting, but it takes a huge toll on his family life.
When North West Weekly spoke with Mr Bynoe, it was the 22nd birthday of his son, Antwone.
And while his family were celebrating in Normanton, Mr Bynoe was preparing for another dialysis session at the Cairns Private Hospital.
He said he would find the time to video call his son at some point during the day.
Later in the week, it would be his daughter, Gabrielle’s 15th birthday.
He said he would likely also have to video call her from Cairns.
“I try to get home whenever I can,” Mr Bynoe said.
“We are always back and forward between Cairns and Normanton, but I always have to rush back to Cairns for dialysis.
“The bus doesn’t arrive in Cairns until 5pm, then I have to go straight to the hospital for dialysis.
“I have to pay for these bus trips out of my own pocket, so it becomes pretty expensive if I want to see my family.
“We have kids in our care, and I always have to let the department of housing know my movements.
“I miss funerals and birthdays and seeing my grandkids. You miss out on a lot and it can be pretty stressful.”
Mr Bynoe first became aware of kidney issues in 2021 and he was initially referred for treatment in Mount Isa, which led to a further referral to Townsville, where he spent eight months.
He was then transferred to Cairns Private Hospital last year and is currently on a waiting list for kidney surgery, which was cancelled earlier this year with a new date set for possibly next month.
Mr Bynoe said he had never lived away from Normanton before his medical troubles emerged just after the pandemic peaked.
“It is hard being away from your home and family,” he said.
“I would love it if they had machines at the Normanton hospital so I could just stay at home.”
