2010 Christmas Appeal for the Paediatric Clinics

Will you help give kids at Flinders a very special Christmas present?

In 2007, the Flinders Medical Centre Foundation, together with Variety the Children's Charity and donors such as yourself, rejuvenated the paediatric ward at Flinders Medical Centre to become a brighter and cheerier place for the 3,000 children admitted each year.

One little fellow whose hospital stay has been made much happier by the facelift is 5 1/2 year old Mark, who has spent countless hours in surgery and days in the ward suffering from a bowel condition he has had since birth.

We call children like Mark our 'frequent flyers'. As part of his condition, Mark has a colostomy bag connected to his stomach and must have regular checkups with specialists in the paediatric clinics just next door to the Variety Children's Centre.

These clinics see more than 5,000 children each year as out-patients for diagnosis and management of conditions such as allergies, diabetes, heart conditions, and other illnesses.

We need your help to give the paediatric clinics a facelift to make the clinic environment more welcoming for children like Mark.

Earlier this year, the Flinders Medical Centre Foundation was approached by Mark's family who made a significant donation to purchase new equipment to help doctors more easily find a child's small veins when inserting IV needles or taking blood.

This new equipment will benefit all children at Flinders, including Mark, and reduce the stress caused by having to have a needle.

The family have also provided a generous donation to kick start this campaign to give the paediatric clinics a very special Christmas present.

The Flinders Medical Centre Foundation would like to raise $30,000 before Christmas to allow the paediatric clinics to receive new flooring, a bright new paint job, fun decorations, and a games console for the waiting room.

If we raise $36,000 we could also purchase two spirometers at $3,000 each to better assess the breathing of asthmatic children treated at Flinders.

Whatever you can give this Christmas will help bring a smile to a sick child. You can make a donation online here, or by calling (08) 8204 5216.