We’re a proudly volunteer driven organisation.
Our board, our patient support team, many of our key operational people in finance, marketing and administration, and of course our medicos, all donate their time.
We’re proud and incredibly grateful to have them working with us as we fight the injustice of rheumatic heart disease in Timor-Leste.
I am delighted to be joining TLHF as Program Coordinator, supporting program delivery, M&E activities and stakeholder engagement for the Caring for Healthy Hearts Program. Prior to joining TLHF I worked in the Northern Territory public service, mostly recently in North-East Arnhem Land with a focus on regional development and mine transition planning. I am incredibly excited to be joining the TLHF team and supporting strong cardiovascular health outcomes in Timor-Leste.
Some years ago I worked for Timor-Leste Hearts Fund honorary medical adviser Dr Noel Bayley as a medical registrar in Warrnambool Hospital. I was inspired by not only the massive amount of work he has put into helping to create Timor-Leste Hearts Fund, but the grit and dedication of the whole team.
It has been a perfect fit for me to join the team on multiple trips to Timor-Leste to run clinics and assist with research. I interview and examine patients, then perform echocardiograms, seeing hundreds of patients over a few short days. It’s a privilege and an honour working with the Timor-Leste Hearts Fund team, and I can say with certainty that the clinical experience I’ve gained in Timor-Leste makes me a far better cardiologist.
After being laughed at by lots of Timorese children, I have discovered that my name ‘Liz’ is very similar to ‘liis’ which is Tetum for onion. I love learning languages so I am now trying to learn some phrases in Tetum.
I first became aware of Timor-Leste Hearts Fund in 2010. In 2014, I myself underwent open-heart surgery. It makes a big difference that I can share my experiences with the patients and can relate to their stories when they tell me that they feel breathless, tired and have pain in their chests. This is an incredible charity that is making a big impact on Timorese people’s lives.
I see myself as fortunate to have skills which can help others and have long desired to give back to society. Timor-Leste seemed like the perfect place to do this as it’s a small, young country that has only basic medical care and is one of our closest neighbours who has helped Australia in the past. As part of the volunteer medical team I travel to Timor-Leste to help identify patients in need of cardiac care. This also involves following up those who have already undergone a procedure. I am also part of the board clinical governance committee.
I first became involved in overseas charitable cardiac work in 2000. I have operated on a number of Timorese patients as part of my work in Timor-Leste, which began in 2003, when I was asked to join a Royal Australasian College of Surgeons paediatric cardiac team to Timor-Leste. I visited East Timor for several years as team leader for the small cardiac team.
As a former board member of Timor-Leste Hearts Fund and a member of the clinical advisory board committee, I help advise on the basis of my knowledge and contact with Timor-Leste, and to help progress the future plans. I also support the organisation on projects such as the proposed first visiting open-heart team to Timor-Leste. This is by far the most effective way of providing cardiac surgery for those needing it, and more cost-effective than bringing patients to Australia.
As a Timorese, I know how important it is to have your loved ones and friends by your side, especially when you are ill or in difficult circumstances. I have worked with Timor-Leste Hearts Fund since 2011 to help patients feel supported and comfortable with their treatment. They often come without family, don’t speak English and face severe culture shock, all while they are undergoing unfamiliar medical procedures. It simply gives me the greatest joy to help others in need and make their journey a little less scary.
Pictured on the right.
I spent three inspiring and eye-opening months in Africa working in hospitals as a medical student in 1982. Despite my best intentions, 30 years elapsed before I volunteered again, this time for Timor-Leste Hearts Fund.
I made first my trip to Timor in 2015 and seeing desperately ill young people with valvular heart disease, I regretted waiting 30 years to return to volunteer work and have made many trips since.
My area of speciality is in heart ultrasounds, valvular heart disease and congenital heart disease. It is a privilege to be able to help diagnose patients in Timor-Leste and see them receive the treatment they so desperately need.
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