Have $5? This is how it can provide support to our littlest Canberrans
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Forget your daily cup of coffee, what if we told you $5 can make an important difference to the most vulnerable members of the Canberra community?
Officially launching their 2022 Give Me Five fundraiser, the Canberra Hospital Foundation is calling for donations to improve the lives of sick kids in the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children.
And while $5 might not sound like a life-saving amount of money, according to CEO of the Canberra Hospital Foundation Helen Falla, a little goes a long way to help staff go above and beyond for their patients.
“Hospitals are a scary place for a little person to come to,” she says.
“They’re already feeling unwell, so to be able to give them something that can help with a distraction, to make them feel a little bit more at home, to make the place feel a little less clinical, to enhance their treatment—all of that contributes to a better experience,”
Aiming to raise enough to fund life-saving equipment, therapeutic toys, and Smileyscopes—a virtual reality experience that calms children during needle procedures— according to mum Emma Keen, the best treatment Give Me Five provides is putting a smile on the face of a sick child.
When two of her triplet daughters were admitted to the emergency ward within 24 hours of each other for an asthma attack, Emma was amazed by the efforts of the staff to make the experience friendly for four-year-olds Aleisha, Maddilyn, and Eloise.
“Eloise got very, very sick and was referred to an ambulance from the doctor’s surgery. She needed oxygen straight away,” she explains.
“Then Aleisha started to go downhill and she came in with the same symptoms that Eloise was experiencing. The girls had to be in the emergency department until they had an hour break in between having their puffers and then Eloise got moved to the high care ward later that night.”
Experiencing a milder version of the asthma attack, Aleisha was well enough to be transferred to a different ward. But when the hospital staff realised Eloise was still extremely unwell, they decided to change plans and organise a shared bedroom for the girls.
Incredibly thankful for the simple gesture, Emma believes that by listening to the two girls and keeping them together, the staff helped to speed up their recovery and make their stay at the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children happier.
“The care was just amazing and having the two in the same room, I believe made it a quicker recovery for Eloise,” she says.
“From the ambulance driver to the emergency department to the pediatrics nurses and doctors, the social workers and the admin team, together they made the experience in the Canberra Hospital a much nicer and friendly experience for our family.”
And after her daughter’s experiences in the hospital, Emma believes that fundraisers like Give Me Five are vital to helping keep young children—and their carers—happy and healthy during challenging times.
“We all know that things in life can happen unexpectedly and you don’t know what your kid is going to need.”
“Give Me Five provides life-saving equipment, refurbishment, and ongoing research.”
For the month of June, your donation to Give Me Five (coffee-sized or bigger) will not only support sick kids in the hospital but their families, the healthcare team, and the wider community.
“The Give Me Five team is such a fun group of people and they provide the community with a lot of amusement as well through the fundraising, different activities, and challenges,” says Helen.
“It’s a lovely way for Canberrans to give back to the most vulnerable patients in their community.”
For more information visit canberrahospitalfoundation.org.au/give-me-five
