In mid-June, friends of Children’s Surgery Foundation, Miranda and Steve Harris, opened their home to host an evening of inspirational talks and personal testimony to mark the launch of our Beam campaign’s fundraising efforts for Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
Guests gathered to hear about the pressing need to transform paediatric vascular access across the UK, and about our mission to provide ultrasound vein-finding machines to every specialist paediatric centre in the country. Bristol is next up on our list.
GP Emily Docherty spoke candidly about the profound difference this technology has made to her now four-year-old son Laurie’s life since birth, and his ongoing treatment. She made a compelling case for its wider rollout: explaining its role in preserving veins and by extension, lives, and how it spares young patients, their families and their clinicians from unnecessary pain and distress.
‘Acquiring an ultrasound vein-finder will make a massive difference to the care we can provide to unwell children in the region. From tiny premature babies who depend on specialist feeding into a vein for survival, to children with chronic illness who require multiple attempts to achieve venous access, this will ensure the best chance of successful cannulation. It reduces the need for general anaesthetic, speeds up the delivery of key medicines including pain relief, and protects those patients who are unable to eat or drink due to their illness,’ explained Andy Ross, consultant neonatal and paediatric surgeon at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, as he highlighted the impact the machine will have on infants in the South West.
Trustee Adrienne Cohen and CEO Helen Ison were also in attendance to encourage support for the Bristol branch of our Beam campaign. Also joining the event was Gary Marsh from GE Healthcare, who was on hand with one of the nifty smaller devices, bringing the technology to life for interested guests.
‘When I heard about what the charity does, I immediately wanted to get behind it,’ says Miranda Harris, ‘and hosting an event in our home felt like a great way to help.’
Warm thanks to Steve and Miranda for their generous hospitality, and to everyone who came along in support. We hope to reach our Bristol goal before the year is out.