Just a day after his fourth birthday, George was admitted to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) with severe croup. Despite his mum Tori feeling immense concern for her son, she knew he was in the right place to receive the best possible care.
After being seen by clinicians in the RCH’s Emergency Department, George was quickly admitted to the Dolphin Ward, the hospital’s short stay medical ward. While most children admitted to Dolphin can go home after 48 hours, George’s croup was so severe he was on the ward for almost 12 days.
In what was a stressful time for the family, Tori couldn’t have more praise for the RCH, in particular the staff on Dolphin.
“George put his faith in the nurses and doctors at the RCH, just as we did, in keeping him safe and getting him well.
“During our stay, we had a few visits from the Medical Emergency Team for immediate treatment for his breathing.
“On the first occasion, George was treated with an adrenaline nebuliser, which worked to treat his symptoms but caused him some distress as he didn’t like the noisiness of it. Because of this, the nurses made a conscious effort to help George feel safe when additional nebulisers were given.
“They used cotton wool in his ears, and they let him wear his dad’s noise cancelling headphones. This process became known to George as a normal one and he preferred his new best friend Shelley, a treating nurse on Dolphin, to administer his medication.”
For Tori, it was also the little details that made a difference.
When George finally ate something – vanilla ice cream – a nurse went out her way to source more for him. There was also the Lego pirate ship gifted to George for his birthday by staff and the enthusiasm and kindness shown by nurses when George showed them his toys, asked to spin with them on the wheely chair or walked out to say goodnight.
“As a parent you just can’t ask for anything more than the genuine care and concern the staff had for George’s health and wellbeing.
“Needless to say, our experience on Dolphin, despite the length of our stay and George’s health being so poor, was phenomenal and much of our positive experience can be attributed to the nurses making George, and my husband and I, feel supported,” said Tori.
Tori was emphatic when it came to thanking the generous people who supported the RCH, saying how the care they received inspired their own giving.
“Philanthropy is wonderful and absolutely necessary. Our experiences at the RCH recently, and in the past, have inspired us and our family to philanthropically support the hospital as well,” she said.
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