Hands up for our children winter 2016

HANDS UP FOR

Our Children STORIES FROM THE RCH ISSUE 3: WINTER 2016

RCH FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER

ADVANCING CANCER CARE FOR PATIENTS LIKE SAM An active kid, Sam could often be found playing basketball or training for a triathlon. That changed when he was diagnosed with cancer.

Following persistent headaches, an MRI confirmed that Sam had a pineoblastoma, an aggressive tumour of the pineal gland near the centre of the brain.

Ten months ago Sam became an RCH patient and has undergone surgery, seven rounds of chemotherapy and six weeks of cranial and spinal radiotherapy.

Sam recently finished treatment and both his family, and the clinical team are hopeful that the tumour will not grow further.

“The therapies used to help Sam are basically the same as what was available 20 years ago,” says Sam’s mum Michelle. “There has been little advancement in solid mass brain tumour treatment and as brain cancer is one of the main cancers affecting children, it would be great to see new alternatives.” >> STORY CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

CEO Sue Hunt with RCH patient Heath

CONTENTS Welcome 2 Giving is the best way to celebrate

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Advancing cancer care for patients like Sam - cover story continued

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A little help from my friend

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Making a difference

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Amazing Grace

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Working in harmony

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All the right notes

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Funding the future

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Your impact

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Did you know

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The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation Level 2, 48 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052 03 9345 5037 ABN 15 007 143 142 ACN 007 143 142

If this newsletter has arrived at a difficult time for you, please know we have you in our thoughts.

We acknowledge loved ones who have passed away in recent times and remember their family and friends who miss them every day.

Welcome to the third edition of Hands up for Our Children.

Inside this issue we highlight how funds donated by you, our generous supporter community, ensure The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) remains at the forefront of paediatric healthcare.

We profile the pioneering research taking place in the Children’s Cancer Centre Tissue Bank and speak to Coordinator, Louise Ludlow.

We also celebrate 25 years of Music Therapy at the hospital. This program plays a vital role in not only reducing the stress that can be experienced by our young patients, but also improving clinical outcomes. Our Music Therapy program was the first of its kind at a paediatric hospital in Australia and would not exist without your support.

You will find inspiring stories about patients Ryka, Cody and Akeira, and learn about our ground-breaking Intestinal Transplant Program. You’ll also read about some of the creative ways people in our community work hard to raise funds for the hospital.

I hope you enjoy the newsletter and see that together, we can change the future of children’s health.

I would like to sincerely thank you all for your support over this last financial year.

You have given so generously to the hospital and enabled us to provide the very best care to patients and their families. Thank you.

Warm regards,

Keep up to date with information from the RCH and join the conversation. f RCHMelbourne t RCH_Foundation rch.foundation@rch.org.au

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Sue Hunt Chief Executive Officer

THANK YOU TO OUR NEWSLETTER SPONSORS

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Strathmore Community Bank ® Branch 337 Napier Street, Strathmore VIC 3041 bendigobank.com.au/strathmore

Giving is the best way to celebrate For five year-old Ryka, holding a ‘Giving in Celebration’ birthday party for The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation was an easy decision to make.

“This is the best way to celebrate a birthday, all kids and even grown-ups should celebrate like this,” said Ryka.

Ryka and her family have endured a tough few years. At two-yearsold, Ryka was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia after getting sick on a trip to India in late 2013.

“It was New Year’s Eve when Ryka was diagnosed, everyone else was celebrating,” her mother Vanu said. “We were shattered as it is tough for any parent to go through this and see your child undergoing all the procedures and treatments.”

After two and a half years of chemotherapy treatment at the RCH, her recent birthday would have been an excuse for some self-indulgence.

Not for Ryka. She chose a far more selfless cause.

“To help sick kids so they can also enjoy life with their friends and family like I enjoy my life now,” said the energetic five-year-old.

Vanu is fully supportive of Ryka’s fundraising, as her family has nothing but praise for the medical staff that helped her daughter. “(The) RCH was like our first home for last three years, and Ryka loves her hospital, doctors, nurses, play therapists, music therapists and educators,” said Vanu.

“Ryka wanted to do something for the hospital when her treatment finished this March and asked us what she could do. So we gave her a few ideas, and she chose to fundraise through her birthday party as a ‘Giving in Celebration’ event.”

You might think asking friends and family to give to a charity rather than buy a present would be difficult at times or even awkward.

Think again.

Ryka and her family raised over $6,000 for the RCH Foundation.

MAKE YOUR BIRTHDAY COUNT! Give in celebration to the hospital. To find out how, contact us on 03 9345 5059 or rch.foundation@rch.org.au

“It was amazing. When we told our plans to our family and friends, they were all very happy and encouraging and kindly supported us,” said Vanu. “Also, when Ryka told her educators in childcare, Bambini Early Learning Centre, they also wanted to support and share this with all the Bambini families who kindly supported us.”

For anyone considering a Giving in Celebration event, the message from Vanu is simple.

“If a five year old can do it, anyone can.”

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Advancing cancer care for patients like Sam >> COVER STORY CONTINUED

The care of cancer patients like Sam has become increasingly complex in part because of recent and exciting advances in medical research.

These advances are increasing our understanding of the genetic variations and underlying biology of childhood cancer. However, this research relies on the availability of tissue samples. Paediatric tumours are rare and obtaining quality tumour tissue for research is often problematic.

Globally many researchers are limited in studying paediatric cancers due to lack of access to high quality tissue samples for study.

The Children’s Cancer Centre (CCC) Tissue Bank provides these samples from its valuable collection. Samples include solid tumour tissue, blood and bone marrow. The CCC Tissue Bank was established in 2014 thanks to the support of the RCH Auxiliaries, Cancer in Kids Auxiliary (CIKA) and Leukaemia Auxiliary at RCH (LARCH).

“I don’t consider it a job,” says Louise Ludlow, CCC Tissue Bank Coordinator. “It’s an honour and a privilege to contribute in this way. We wouldn’t have a tissue bank without philanthropic support and without these biological

CURING THE INCURABLE Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) is an aggressive and ultimately incurable form of brain cancer. Affecting the pons (message transmitter) of the brainstem, DIPG makes nervous system function impossible.

DIPG specimens are enormously valuable and rare, and the scarcity of DIPG tumour samples has hampered research on the genetics and biology of this tumour type. Diagnosis is generally made on the basis of clinical presentation and imaging, therefore surgical biopsy is rarely employed for analysis. These tumours are not amenable to surgery because of their location and infiltrative nature.

DIPG samples taken during post-mortem are sought after to develop targeted therapies and improve the poor outcome associated with this disease. The CCC Tissue Bank team culture DIPG specimens to establish cell lines that are distributed for research.

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samples, there’s limited research into childhood cancers.

The ultimate aim is to improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment for children with these conditions.”

Understanding the importance their contribution plays in advancing cancer care, every patient family approached has willingly donated samples. The process of obtaining samples for cancer research is rigorous.

Applications are scientifically assessed by an oversight committee consisting of scientists, surgeons, pathologists, haematologists, as well as the clinical trials and legal teams.

“Samples are preserved with the utmost care and dignity for future clinical and research purposes. Over 50 staff including consultants, surgeons, haematologists, oncologists, specialist pathologists, researchers and research enablers work together as part of the team.

CIKA’s support has recently allowed us to build a seven person roster of on-call scientists ready to receive and process tumour material after hours, on weekends and public holidays. Together we are committed to improving the survival rate and long term health outcomes for children diagnosed with cancer.”

In addition to the processing of samples for clinical trials, the CCC Tissue Bank also prepares clinical samples for further molecular testing as standard of care. Louise also generates cell lines from tumour samples. Cell lines create a continuous supply of materials and reduce the need to collect further samples. Certain cell lines can only grow for a limited period, while others grow infinitely, essentially becoming ‘immortal’. These cell lines are used to test new therapies prior to clinical trials and investigate the molecular pathways of cancer. Childhood cancer is distinct from adult cancer and researchers hope to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms underpinning childhood cancer development.

Thanks to CIKA and fellow-funders LARCH, the CCC Tissue Bank has also participated in important research projects outside of the Melbourne Children’s campus. So far, it has supported eight translational research projects and five clinical trials. This has assisted with research conducted

by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and the Kid’s Cancer Centre, Sydney Children’s Hospital.

“The Tissue Bank is an invaluable resource which allows us to collaborate in adequately powered international studies through sample and knowledge sharing, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of cutting edge paediatric cancer research.”

FAST FACTS The CCC Tissue Bank was established in 2014 with the help of philanthropic funds.

The process begins with obtaining patient consent.

Since establishment of the CCC Tissue Bank, over 600 patients and their families have provided consent.

All tissue samples are processed and stored within two hours of collection to maintain integrity. It takes over an hour to process each sample.

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One post-operative tumour specimen can be processed into many portions to enable the best use of the tissue.

1. Louise Ludlow, CCC Tissue Bank Coordinator.

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2. Processed tissue, blood and bone marrow samples are kept at a chilly -80 degrees Celsius to ensure they are preserved for future use.

3. Samples are processed in a special biohazard hood.

4. Microscopy image of neurospheres derived from a high grade brain tumour sample.

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5. Freshly cultured cell lines grow at 37 degrees Celsius, the average internal body temperature. The hope is that these cell lines will become ‘immortal’ and support important research well into the future.

6. Solid tumour tissues and cryopreserved cells must be stored in the vapour phase of liquid nitrogen to maintain their integrity. These samples can be kept for many decades in this secure storage facility.

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A little help from my friend When the RCH saved Cody’s life, his best friend Joel raised over $1,600 to thank the hospital.

On 8 September 2015, Cody nearly died. While celebrating the end of the school term with friends, he accidentally drove a dirt bike into a wire fence, severing his windpipe.

“I received a call from one of the mums saying he’d been in an accident,” said James Stedman, Cody’s grandfather and carer. “When I got there paramedics and police were on site and they told me that Cody had nearly decapitated himself.”

Cody was rushed to the RCH by air ambulance, where surgeons quickly operated to save his life. This was the beginning of his three month recovery at the hospital.

Spending his first week in an induced coma, Cody was then cared for in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and finally Kelpie Ward. Cody now has a tracheostomy which allows him to breathe, but not to talk.

During Cody’s time at the hospital, his best friend Joel took the three hour trip from home almost every Saturday to spend time with him.

“I didn’t really understand how sick he was and when I first saw him, he wasn’t in a good way and it was really upsetting to see,” said Joel. “But by the next week, it was incredible to see how much progress he’d made. When he was well enough we’d watch a movie or play video games and then get lunch at the hospital.”

Joel even organised for David Armitage from St Kilda Football Club to visit Cody, and they “had a great time chatting with him.”

It was during these visits that Cody and Joel came up with the idea to start their own t-shirt line. From these discussions, the two friends decided to thank the hospital for Cody’s exceptional care.

“I got to see firsthand how the hospital works and that there’s a lot of sick children out there that need the community’s support,” writes Cody.

“So Joel and myself decided to have a fundraiser at school so that we could be part of something amazing. To help pay for things like medical supplies so that [sick children can] be given the best help in hospital like I was.”

Cody and Joel’s planning paid off, raising an amazing $1,600 for the hospital.

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1. Best friends, Cody and Joel.

2. A photo of Cody at the RCH 3. A letter sent from Cody’s Grandad to the RCH Foundation 4. A photo of Joel from the school newsletter with an article about his fundraising

“I sold 30 of our t-shirts, held a casual day at school, as well as two sausage sizzles with all profits going to the RCH Foundation. My mum helped out by donating all the food and drinks so none of what we made was used to cover costs.”

Cody is now back in school and has the help of a teacher’s aid as he completes Year 10. At the end of this year, Cody and his grandfather will meet with RCH surgeons to plan how they will re-join the broken pieces of his windpipe.

Until then, Cody’s getting by just fine with a little help from his friends.

Amazing Grace Following a lifetime of service to the RCH, Grace Cuming OAM left behind an incredible legacy.

As far back as Rosemary Mangiamele can remember, her mother, Grace Cuming OAM supported the RCH. Born with severe asthma and an anaphylactic egg allergy, Rosemary was her mother’s inspiration to get involved.

At first Grace joined the Camberwell Canterbury Auxiliary in the late 1940s, of which she eventually became President. From here she helped lead the RCH Auxiliaries as Vice President and in 1962 Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE invited her to join the RCH Committee of Management. One year later Grace became Vice President and eventually President of the RCH Volunteer Service, a role she held for 14 distinguished years.

During this time, Grace also served as Honourary Secretary of the RCH Auxiliaries on two occasions. In 1979, she rose to the position of Vice President of the RCH Committee of Management and remained in this role until she retired in 1984.

Though Grace served the hospital in many official roles, each one was voluntary. Her more than 45 years of honorary service to the RCH speaks to an outstanding commitment to helping sick children.

“She just cared about it so much. She worked so hard to support the RCH, it was like a fulltime job, but it was all voluntary.”

Grace’s volunteer efforts for the hospital were recognised with a number of prestigious awards. She became a Honourary Life Member of the RCH Volunteers Service and a Life Governor of the RCH, was inducted as an RCH Auxiliaries Living Treasure, had an RCH patient accommodation facility named the Grace Cuming Lodge in her honour, and received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 1985 for her service to the community. She was also one of the honoured attendees when Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the old RCH in February 1963.

When Grace passed away in 2014, she left a Gift in Will to the RCH Foundation supporting research at the hospital, a cause close to her heart since she’d served on the board of The Royal Children’s Hospital Research Institute. Grace’s gift specifically supports the Postgraduate Health Research Scholarships (PHRS) and Career Development Awards (CDA). These prizes enable health professionals to develop their careers as independent researchers, allowing them to become independent, externally-funded clinician researchers.

“My mother had a very special, generous spirit and was always supporting those that needed help. I’m so proud of her contribution to the hospital and the ground-breaking research initiatives her generosity is helping to foster.”

1. Grace Cumming OAM with friends and fellow RCH supporters Dame Elisabeth Murdoch AC DBE and Dame Patrica McKinnon DBE at Dame Elisabeth’s birthday party in 2008 2. Grace Cuming standing outside RCH patient accomodation facility named in her honour

Wish to leave a legacy?

Is The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation in your Will?

Call the office today on 03 9345 5037 and we’ll make sure your gift will be used exactly as you intend.

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Making a Difference Eight years after they first staged the ‘Making a Difference Gala Ball’, Ballarat couple Hamish and Alicia Jayne MacLean are once again staging the glamorous biennial event to fundraise for The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation.

CORPORATE STOMP K2LD Architects Director David Lee knows first-hand how important the RCH is. His son Aaron has been an RCH cancer patient for most of his life.

Keen to thank the hospital for Aaron’s care, David, his partner Tisha and the K2LD Melbourne team have donated almost $15,000 to support Music Therapy for the RCH Children’s Cancer Centre.

It is an enormous undertaking to organise an evening of this size, but it’s one that Alicia (pictured above) isn’t about to give up.

“I am passionate about this event and really enjoy the process of seeking support from the community,” said Alicia. “I try to have every part of the production process sponsored because it enables us to raise more money and reduces our expenses significantly.”

Alicia dedicates many months towards the fundraising success of the night.

“I work hard to find ways to support my amazing sponsors by offering advertising on the media wall, in the event book with an advertising space, and the opportunity to place something in the gift bags that all the guests receive; which we will be making from my shed next weekend, all 400 of them!!”

This year’s Ball will be extra special, with one of Australia’s celebrated GoldMedalists, Kelly Cartwright, speaking on the night. Kelly lost her leg to cancer at just 15 years old, and she spent considerable time at the RCH. Kelly will give the key-note speech, after adding motherhood last year to her considerable list of achievements.

The funds from the Gala Ball will be donated to the RCH Foundation specifically for RCH Cardiology. The event is held in honour of the MacLean’s close friend Simon who passed away from a heart condition in 2007 aged just 27.

Over the last eight years, the Gala Balls have raised more than $60,000, and the MacLeans hope to make another significant donation to the RCH Foundation this year.

“We all have personal stories of someone who has either passed away or is suffering from a serious condition. For me, this event is a way to harness our community’s positivity and generosity, and make a significant difference to the lives of children visiting the RCH,” said Alicia.

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“Music therapy is powerful because it gives some fun to the clinical experience. The Music Therapists have such passion for what they do and you just have to support that. Supporting Music Therapy is a way for me to contribute and give back to people who have been where we have,” said David.

Recently, the K2LD team participated in the Stadium Stomp at the MCG to fundraise for RCH Music Therapy.

Together they stomped 48,000 steps to raise nearly $5,000, which made K2LD the top fundraisers at the event.

The team couldn’t be happier with their result.

“Running and walking up and down the stairs of the MCG was a fantastic experience, but looking back at the Stomp, the memories that have lasted are of those opportunities we had to fundraise for The Royal Children’s Cancer Centre and the Music Therapy program.”

Our sincere thanks to K2LD for their ongoing support of Music Therapy!

To find out how to support the RCH through your workplace, call Giovina on 03 9345 4507

All the right notes RCH Music Therapy celebrates 25 years of healing and joy at the hospital.

The power of music is undeniable. A beautiful lyric or a few stunning chords can transport you to another place and time, or put a big smile on your face. RCH Music Therapy has been using that power to support children and young people in coping with their hospital experiences for 25 years.

Since current Play and Music Therapy Manager Beth Dun was appointed as the RCH’s first music therapist in 1991 (pictured right), the service has grown and developed, adapting to the ever changing medical environment. There are now six music therapists working across the hospital, helping to decrease patient anxiety and stress, reduce pain perception, support relaxation and assist in normal child development.

Beth Dunn with an RCH patient in her early years as a Music Therapist at the RCH.

“Music Therapy was recognised early on as an intervention that could improve patients’ and families’ experiences of the hospital,” Beth said. “We knew there was more to it, and as time went on, with more experience and evidence, we have been able to articulate more clearly the specific benefits.”

Though still paralysed at the time, Tyrone regained the ability to move his fingers, which was all he needed to play the right hand notes of The Entertainer with his music therapist Janeen. This was Tyrone’s first introduction to music.

Music Therapy supports patient care in a variety of ways throughout the hospital. In the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, Music Therapy encourages normal infant development through the use of their mother’s voice. As infants are ‘wired’ to respond to it, music therapists help mothers to sing to their babies to promote healthy attachment.

“Four years later, I was back at the RCH and a lot had changed: I was out of the wheelchair and had taught myself guitar, which I put down to the motivation Janeen had shown me was achievable with music. What it can do to help you cope with the drastic changes in life, both mentally and, for me at that time, physically. To help the strength and movement in my fingers and arms, my physio was very happy that I found something so beneficial that I didn’t dread doing.”

For rehabilitation and neurology patients, Music Therapy helps patients accomplish speech and physical goals. For example, when recovering from a traumatic brain injury, many children and young people find that they can sing before they can speak, and that playing instruments helps motivate movement.

In the Children’s Cancer Centre, group Music Therapy sessions encourage healthy social interaction and development for children who are in and out of hospital for cancer treatment.

“Because music engages children, they can immediately relate to it when everything else around them may be confusing. Music doesn’t require them to be physically competent to participate. If they can hear sounds, or feel vibrations, they can participate in music. Which means even the sickest of our children can participate.”

For RCH patient Tyrone Kelly, Music Therapy provided an escape and inspired his love of music. Following an unfortunate accident that left him an incomplete quadriplegic, a 13 year old Tyrone became an inpatient at the hospital.

“Having spent every moment of my childhood outside playing sports, sitting down with an instrument seemed pretty boring. But given that I was bed ridden, I changed my outlook pretty quickly,” said Tyrone.

During this second stay at the RCH, Tyrone met another music therapist, Meagan. Straight away Tyrone asked for a guitar that he could keep next to his bed and he played it “all the time.”

Music became Tyrone’s pastime and he found that his Music Therapy sessions with Meagan couldn’t come soon enough.

“I spent four months at the RCH that time and without Music Therapy I believe I would’ve been looking for a way to escape the building after three days. Music Therapy made my time at the hospital fun, took my mind off so much and for that I am forever thankful.”

For RCH patients like Tyrone, Music Therapy was an essential part of their hospital journey. Primarily funded by donations, Music Therapy is only available thanks to your generosity.

“Over 3,000 patients per year benefit from RCH Music Therapy,” said Beth.

“On behalf of all those patients, I would like to thank you all for your support.”

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Funding the future Thanks to philanthropy the RCH Intestinal Transplant Program is an Australian-first, changing the lives of desperately sick children.

It was only four years ago that the RCH conducted Australia’s first paediatric intestinal transplant. It’s surprising to think it happened so recently until you understand how difficult an intestinal transplant is.

“Intestinal transplantation is challenging because the gut is a highly complex organ that plays an important role in the body’s immune response. Therefore, the risk of rejection after transplantation remains high despite advances in immunosuppression therapy,” says Kathe Holmes, Clinical Nurse Consultant for the RCH Intestinal Transplant Program. “Also, intestinal transplantation can range from an isolated intestinal graft to replacement of the entire abdominal cavity including stomach, pancreas, liver and kidney.”

Determined to become Australia’s Nationally Funded Centre for paediatric intestinal transplantation, the RCH is developing an Intestinal Transplant Program to provide life-saving care to some of our sickest children. Kathe plays an important part in developing this program.

Her role centres on establishing processes and protocols for each step of every patients’ journey. Kathe is also helping to develop and deliver a national network of training, liaising with multi-disciplinary teams within local and interstate transplant units. Her work also includes building the capacity of interstate units to provide optimal post-transplant care for patients.

“Patients referred to our program undergo an initial assessment in which we review them thoroughly to

determine the individual risks and benefits of offering intestinal transplantation. Patients accepted for transplant receive a unique plan of care based on their individual case and the organs that need to be transplanted. They are then placed onto a national waiting list and, if possible, are supported to live at home during this period. Waiting times are extremely variable, as suitable donor organs can be quite rare.”

If a patient is fortunate enough to receive a donor organ, families must bring their child to the RCH for the transplantation procedure. Post-transplant, the child has many months of serious recovery and needs to be closely monitored by experienced RCH clinical staff for complications like organ rejection. Patients not from Melbourne must stay in the city for one year posttransplant to be close to the RCH for regular and meticulous monitoring.

If able, families are supported in moving back to their home state after this critical year is complete. However, they must live close to their local liver transplantation centre, which can oversee the majority of their follow-up care, apart from ongoing follow-ups with the RCH Intestinal Transplant team.

It’s thanks to community support that these children will get the life-saving care they need.

“Imagine never being able to eat a meal with your family, sleep over at a friend’s house or go on school camp. These children’s lives are so limited. By giving them a transplant, we’re giving them back a chance to experience these normal things. We’re offering them a future that they never thought possible.”

A SECOND CHANCE FOR TALON One of the RCH Intestinal Transplant Program success stories is Talon McGowan.

After being born with his intestines on the outside, Talon was left with less than 30cm of functioning intestine instead of several metres, and over time suffered organ failure.

In 2014, Talon received a new liver and small intestine, as well as a second chance at life.

After living in Melbourne for more than a year following his transplant, Talon and his family were helped by Kathe to settle back in Queensland. She is now working with the local liver transplant centre to ensure Talon gets the best possible care.

Despite the distance, Kathe will be actively involved in Talon’s care until he turns 18.

“Talon is an amazing success story and it’s wonderful to see him back home with his family, eating normal meals and going to school again.”

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Your impact

THE WINTER CAMPAIGN UPDATE Thank you to all of our supporters who donated to our Winter 2016 campaign, featuring RCH patient, Akeira. We hope you found her story as inspiring as we did.

Born premature, Akeira was diagnosed with a rare congenital condition called Goldenhar Syndrome. As a result, Akeira has profound hearing loss in both ears, facial abnormalities, issues with her speech and only one kidney.

At four-years-old, another congenital condition became apparent. Two bouts of severe pancreatitis led to a diagnosis of Choledochal cysts and congenital bile duct anomalies. Doctors decided the cysts and bile duct needed to be removed, and to prepare for the operation Akeira was not allowed any food or water for two weeks prior to surgery.

“Even though this was a tough time for Akeira, she only seems to remember the good stuff,” says mum Felisia. “All the crafting, play therapy, her favourite RCH nurses and doctors. That’s what made an impression on her and, to me, that’s amazing.”

Akeira now wears hearing aids in both ears and has a full range of hearing.

She’s also undergone extensive dental and speech pathology work to ensure her speech is unaffected. Last year, Akeira underwent her first procedure with skilled craniofacial surgeon Dr Jonathan Burge. This helped to mask her facial abnormalities until she’s old enough for surgery to correct her facial asymmetry.

Although Akeira’s made tremendous progress and enjoys all the fun of being a young girl, she will still need to be cared for by the RCH for many years to come.

Thank you for continuing to support Akeira, and many other patients just like her to receive the very best care.

AKEIRA GIVES BACK Akeira has such a close bond with the hospital, and the doctors and nurses here. As part of recent celebrations for her eighth birthday, Akeira asked her guests to donate to the hospital instead of giving her a present and raised $350.

FEEDBACK “My daughter has the same condition, so I can relate to Akeira’s story” Donor, 2016

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Send me information about including the RCH Foundation in my Will.

Please complete and mail this form to: The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, Level 2, 48 Flemington Road, Parkville, VIC 3052 You can also donate online at: rchfoundation.org.au/donate

If you choose to make a gift today please know how gratefully it will be received.

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DID YOU KNOW? •

That five cheeky and inquisitive meerkats call the RCH home.

They live in an open air enclosure that replicates their natural habitat within the RCH Specialist Clinics.

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These adorable meerkats are cared for by zoo keepers from the Melbourne Zoo. The Melbourne Zoo is located within Royal Park just like the hospital, so zookeepers are close by.

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The meerkats eat everything from apples and carrots to celery and capsicum. These special meals are prepared by zookeepers who then deliver them to the RCH by bike.

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The meerkats receive annual health check-ups just like RCH kids. At each check-up the zoo vet does a weigh-in, eye and teeth checks and gives them any necessary vaccinations.

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The RCH meerkat enclosure was made possible by philanthropy. Developed in partnership with Zoos Victoria, the meerkat enclosure is making RCH kids smile thanks to the Hugh Williamson Foundation.

You can buy your own meerkat in RCH scrubs from the RCH Auxiliaries Gift Shop on Main Street.

Your gift makes everything possible Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter, we hope you feel proud of what you make possible through your continued support. If you have any feedback, please email us at rch.foundation@rch.org.au or call 03 9345 5037.

If you have not supported the RCH Foundation before or you would like to make an additional gift at this time, we sincerely thank you. Fill in your details and then cut out that section and return it in the envelope provided.

On behalf of those who will benefit from your kindness and care, our heartfelt thanks.

“The RCH is the best hospital with the best doctors. They are so dedicated because they love what they do.” Felisia, RCH patient mum.

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