18/10/2015
Latest Grumpy Old Men's Society (GOMS) Project
Jarren is a severely handicapped man that widdles an earning by selling ci******es to tourists in front of the Holiday Inn in Patong on the beach. He is originally from Takuapa in Phang Nga and five years ago there was a house fire where he stayed while he was sleeping in bed with a nylon mosquito screen over him. He woke up and the nylon mosquito screen had caught fire and was dripping down on him, he only thought to use his hands and feet to try and kick the burning nylon away from his body. At one point, the burning nylon wrapped around his right leg up to the knee and also around the other foot and both hands. He lost all his fingers except for his thumbs that were deformed He lost his leg just above the knee and all the toes on the other leg.
Obviously very painful at the time of the accident and still is today and he had a long recovery period. At the time he had no insurance and relied on the national health care system.
Later he moved to Phuket with his wife, she works as a live-in maid Monday morning through to Friday evening. So Jarren is on his own during this time. He had to get to Patong Beach by Motorcycle Taxi which took 250 Baht out of his profits each day selling cigaretts, so he was barely able to get by.
These lovely Australians Barbera and Cliff (Barbera being a nurse) noticed him while on holiday in Patong Beach and that his wounds were still open and realized he needed more plastic surgery. They are Rotarians and so they found me, Brad Kenny, as the Past President of the Rotary Club of Patong Beach. I basically coordinated their efforts getting them into plastic surgeons and arraigned for government hospital surgery. He has had one surgery and will have more in the following months.
I then suggested that if he had a motorcycle designed for handicapped he could drive himself to work each morning and then home each evening, and save himself allot of money. We worked together and they eventually got him a three wheel motorcycle. After that, he asked if anyone could help him out and put on a basket for him on the back of the motorcycle so he could carry more goods, expand his sales, and make more money.
GOMS recently took on this project and purchased the larger basket just last week.
Here is some photos of Jarren; at the Patong Hospital serval months ago after his first surgery, with his new Trike, and where he works in front of the Holiday Inn Resort Patong Beach.
Now he is able to sell games and other trinkets to tourists and makes himself a survivable living.
If you like to join us and your qualified (Grumpy old man that wants to do good) then come to our first and third Monday of each month meeting at the Big A Resort in Chalong (see map our page). www.http://phuketgoms.org/
