Cystic fibrosis patient’s desperate plea for tissues amid coronavirus panic buying

Alex Turner-Cohen news.com.au

But one man, Peter Oxford, desperately needs tissues for his rare medical condition – Cystic Fibrosis.

“I’ve started a new lifesaving drug which makes me cough up a lot of mucus,” Mr Oxford told news.com.au. “I go through a box of tissues a day.”

Throughout the week, the Sydney man has been steadily running out of the tissues he so desperately needs, and was unable to find any at his local shops.

He finished his last supply at 3am, spurring him to beg for help by leaving a note in the lift to his apartment block.

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“Dear neighbours,” the note reads.

“I can’t find tissues anywhere at our supermarkets, I have cystic fibrosis and need these on a daily basis.

“I can swap you for a roll of toilet paper.

“Is this what its (sic) come to?”

Mr Oxford also shared the note to his Twitter page.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening respiratory disease, but Mr Oxford is hopeful that the new treatment, Symdeko, could be the answer.

However, as he started the treatment 10 days ago, he will be needing lots of tissues for at least another two weeks while his body grows accustomed to it.

“The last three nights I’ve been up coughing, didn’t get any sleep,” he said. “I also feel dizzy, nauseated and extra tired from the medication,” he told news.com.au

He went to the shops four times today, and each time came back empty.

“I went to grocery stores in Roseberry, Greensquare, Waterloo and Zetland. I even went to Bunnings … Nothing.”

“I nearly want to cry. It’s causing me so much anxiety.”

“People with disabilities are being disadvantaged with all this toilet paper buying,” he said.

Mr Oxford managed to score one box of tissues on Saturday which was being sold at a staggering $3.50 for 80 tissues.

“Usually it’s a dollar for 200 tissues,” he said.

“I don’t have family near me, I support myself,” he said. “The coronavirus panic is costing more money for people like myself.”

Mr Oxford recalls opening up some of his carrier luggage early this morning desperately looking for leftover tissues that he could use.

However, he came across a rare moment of humanity, saying “something good came out of this as well”.

He explained how within hours of putting up his note, help came to him in the way of a perfect stranger.

“A lady just knocked on my door and said ‘here’s a box of tissues.

“Her son had cystic Fibrosis so she understood.”

Mr Oxford is still shocked at Australia’s state of panic.

“I live in Australia, I’m not in a third world country,” he said. “I used to help an orphanage in Vietnam, we used to give them toilet paper. It’s ridiculous.”