Let us, for a minute, consider Dekkard Maynard.
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Aside from the front page of today’s Mercury, his name probably won’t ring a bell and his story remains relatively untold.
But this little boy with the exceptionally rare neurological condition is one of the most important Maitland stories of the 2015 state election.
Unable to fight his own public fight, Dekkard’s mother has joined a growing number of residents campaigning for Maitland Hospital to remain a prominent health facility after the Metford hospital is built.
And it’s a fight most vital.
With the Maitland population exploding across all areas, it’s hard to comprehend the omission of the city’s central and long-standing hospital.
Sure, another is on its way on the other side of town, but why can’t we have both? Certainly our growth projection demands it.
Founder of the Save Our Hospital Action Group Shane Anderson has taken it upon himself to push the issue.
Everyday Shane stands out the front of Maitland Hospital declaring his support for the hospital.
Yesterday, after meeting Dekkard, he was moved to tears.
“This is what this is all about,” he said. “It’s about children like this little boy and we can’t afford to become complacent. We can’t just sit here and accept what we are being told.”
Ms Walters has no idea how long her son will live, but she knows the close proximity of Maitland Hospital to her home has helped keep him alive.
It’s inevitable that we first associate politicians with elections.
It is, after all, them we see – smiling, delivering promises, slamming one another. But the election is not about them at all. So let’s, for a minute, consider Dekkard Maynard.