FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH | AUTUMN EDITION 2015

2 Jack Brockhoff Foundation supporting research

3 Walk for Monash Children’s a huge success

4FEATURE STORYThree identical babies!

FOUNDATIONFOR HEALTHTogether we can make a real and lasting difference to quality healthcare.

7 A life well livedTribute to Don MacLean

Celebrating Mother’s DayOur years of experience.Your special moment.

THE JACK BROCKHOFF FOUNDATION SUPPORTING HEALTH RESEARCH

about Will on page 3.

Late last year, Monash Health launched its own workplace giving program called iGive. iGive allows our staff to make pre-tax donations to Monash Health with their pay. I am proud to be leading this program and thank all those who have joined me in becoming an iGive member. You can read more about iGive on page 8. Thank you again for your continued support. We rely on you, our donors, to work with us to change and save lives by providing the very best healthcare. Please know you make a real difference every day and your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Shelly Park,Chief Executive,Monash Health

I’m always moved when I come across a story that has the power to remind us of how important good health is for us all.

In this edition of Foundation For Health, we are privileged to share the story of Marie Correia and her beautiful one in 200 million identical triplets. Maria is the face of our Mother’s Day Appeal which raises funds for Monash Women’s.

Little Will Clemens suffered a stroke at just four-years-old. His experiences over the last seven years on the slow road to recovery define ‘determination’. On Sunday 1 March, I had the privilege of joining 1,000 parents, families, staff and donors in the annual Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital and met Will for the first time. Seeing Will run across the finish line hand-in-hand with his mother and father, was a stirring reminder to me of how together we can make a real and lasting difference. You can learn more

For us in healthcare, a large part of telling our story involves real patient experiences that highlight the care we provide and the need for the ongoing support from donors like you.

Monash Children’s Hospital Infectious Diseases Department received a grant of $60,000 towards a unique study which aims to further improve the safety of Victoria’s immunisation program, and help maintain public confidence in immunisation. This leading edge research will help ensure that any adverse reaction to vaccines will be identified promptly.

The principal investigator, Associate Professor Jim Buttery, is a leading

vaccine safety researcher nationally and internationally. He is the Director of SAEFVIC (Surveillance of Adverse Events Following Vaccination in the Community), Member of the National Advisory Committee on the Safety of Vaccines (ACSOV), Member of the Science Board of the Brighton Collaboration, the leading global vaccine safety research network. Jim is the current President of the World Society of Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

The late Sir Jack Brockhoff was Chairman and Managing Director of Brockhoff Biscuits Pty Ltd, and had a lifetime commitment to assist others in the community less fortunate than himself. His success enabled him to become one of Australia’s most significant philanthropists. In 1979 Sir Jack established the Foundation which bears his name with an initial amount of $5 million. The Foundation was dedicated to assisting `the people of Victoria’. Most of its grants were of moderate amounts disbursed to a wide range of charities, but it gave priority to helping children and the elderly, and to funding medical research. Visit www.jackbrockhoff.org.au for more information.

MESSAGE FROM SHELLY

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THANKS TO THE TOP 10 TEAMS

THANKS TO THE TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS

The Friends of the Children Foundation Walk for Monash Children’s Hospital held on Sunday 1 March attracted more than 1,000 participants. The event raised more than $100,000 to help purchase high priority pieces of equipment such as additional nitrous oxide machines to help children cope with pain during procedures.

Amongst the many inspiring individuals, past patients, teams walking in memory of children who had passed, and families participating in appreciation, was eleven year old Will Clemens.Will suffered a stroke when he was just four years old. As a result, he was not able to walk or talk and was confined to a wheelchair where his family feared he might stay for the rest of his life.

Over the past seven years, Will has undergone numerous surgeries and intensive rehabilitation as much as three times a week at Monash Children’s Hospital.

Will has worked hard at his recovery and although he still does not have full use of his hand and foot, his determination can never be questioned. A year ago he started training for the event and that hard work was realised when he successfully ran across the finish line.

With the wonderful ongoing support from the Friends of the Children Foundation and generosity of supporters like you, this community event has achieved enormous growth, enabling Monash Children’s Hospital to make a real and lasting difference to children who need it the most.

“It was such a special moment to see Will cross the finish line, he was so determined to

help the hospital,” said mum Joanne.

Team Keating $22,183.00

Team Jack Robinson $9,398.95

Walk For Will Clemens $7,688.50

Wellness On Wellington $4,060.00

Zac’S Pack $3,630.00

Sonny Days $2,505.95

Big Kids of Disney $2,126.84

Sahayee $2,016.00

Team Tom Tom $1,915.00

Paediatric Emergency $1,805.00

Shelly Park $2,073.75

Lucy Wright $1,460.00

Shane Butler $1,120.00

Aubrey Schneider $885.25

Michelle Cadusch $688.50

Seeing Will finish the event was a proud moment for mother Joanne Clemens; one she was not sure she would ever get to see.

This third annual fundraising event was also sponsored by the Lions Club of Oakleigh.

The Lions Club run an op-shop located at 467 Neerim Road, Murrumbeena.

WALK FOR MONASH CHILDREN’S A HUGE SUCCESS

GOOD WILL AT WALK EVENT

FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH | Autumn 2015 |www.monashhealth.org | www.facebook.com/MonashHealthTelephone: (03) 9594 2700

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Our Will walking with his grandmother Jan

Tim and Anastasia from The Block join team Sunny Days at the start line

This Mother’s Day we pay tribute to Maria Correia, an incredible mother of identical triplets – a multiple birth that’s extremely rare. It is thought that only two sets of identical triplets are born every decade in Australia.

Maria was thrilled to fall pregnant for the second time, seven years after the birth of her son Diogo. Excitement turned to shock when she was first told she was having identical twins and then, at her 13-week scan, triplets. “I didn’t know if I should cry or laugh, so I did both for a while. It was the shock of a lifetime,” said Maria.

Many triplets are the result of fertility treatments, but Maria conceived naturally. In an extremely rare twist, the triplets were identical, occurring when one fertilised egg splits, and then one of those eggs splits again.

Maria showed signs of twin-to-twin transfusion, a serious medical challenge with identical triplets because the babies shared one placenta, and was monitored closely during the pregnancy by the team at Monash Medical Centre.

Maria explained “It’s like all the babies are plugged into the same plumbing system, so the blood is going back and forth between them. So the worry was that there may be an uneven distribution, where one baby may take more of its fair share. It was an emotional roller-coaster, l was so terrified something would go wrong.”

On 4 July 2013, at 31 weeks, the babies were delivered by caesarean section, the smallest weighing only 1011 grams. For many days Eve, the smallest triplet, was too sick and fragile for anyone to touch her.

A ONE IN TWO MILLION OCCURENCE

THREE IDENTICAL BABIES!

“They are our miracle babies. Every day is an adventure and no day is ever

the same in our house. We are very blessed and our life wouldn’t be com-

plete without our four wonderful kids.”

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Our years of experience. Your special moment.

The triplets spent the first four weeks in the hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nursery, relying on specialised equipment to help breathe and grow strong. Eve received two blood transfusions in her first two days of life to alleviate her anaemia, a condition in which the body does not make enough new blood cells.

“Throughout the period that the girls spent at the Special Care Nursery there were lots of ups and downs but the support and the care provided was endless,” Maria said.

It was a bitter-sweet moment for Maria to take home Tania and Isabel, but leave behind little Eve, who required another two weeks of around-the-clock care in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

“I was completely and utterly exhausted, feeding and caring for Tania and Isabel, and then driving myself to the hospital to feed and spend time with Eve. On top of that, my son needed school drop offs and pickups,” Maria said.

To make matters worse, Maria’s mother, who had moved into the family home to support her daughter and care for the girls whilst Maria was in hospital with Eve, had a serious fall and needed to be hospitalised.

“I didn’t know how l would cope without the support of my mum. The Special Nursery Unit team were remarkable, the nurses would finish their shift at the hospital and then come over to my house and help me with the evening feed. They are the most loving and caring group of nurses,” Maria explained.

MONASH WOMEN’SThis year, one in nine babies born in Victoria will be born at Monash Women’s.

Monash Women’s is the leading maternity provider in Victoria, providing care to more than 9,000 women each year across three hospitals; Monash Medical Centre, Dandenong Hospital and Casey Hospital.

Monash Women’s provides maternity care for all women, as well as women with more complex and specialty needs.

Monash Medical Centre provides tertiary level maternity care, pregnancy assessment unit, fetal diagnostic unit and has both adult and neonatal intensive care units situated on-site. This integrated service structure provides one of Australia’s safest levels of maternity care. MonashHealth

MonashWomen’s5FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH | Autumn 2015 |www.monashhealth.org | www.facebook.com/MonashHealth

Telephone: (03) 9594 2700

Now 22 months old, the girls are thriving much to the joy of their proud parents Maria and Ricardo.

We need your support to buy the newest and best medical equipment to give mothers and their at risk babies the best start in life. Your donation will directly help our mothers and babies by providing world class facilities and equipment.

To donate visit www.monashhealth.orgor complete and return the enclosed donation form in the reply paid envelope.

Pictured above: students from Clayton South Primary School who fundraised in 2014 and painted a mural.

The Kids with Cancer Foundation recently awarded a three year funding grant for a full time social worker to support our inpatient paediatric oncology patients. Our Monash Children’s Cancer Centre has experienced an increase of more than 100% in patient registrations in the past year and this grant will be a wonderful contribution to our ability to provide exceptional care for these families. The Kids with Cancer Foundation has been raising and distributing funds to support families with a child who has been diagnosed with cancer across Australia for nearly 15 years, and we are very grateful to be a recipient of their generous support. This funding of a full time social worker will provide an extra level of assistance to families and also help with the other costs of long term hospitalisation for families.

WE NEED YOU!

HAVE FUNAND SUPPORT OUR NEW CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL!

RUN FOR THEMONASHCHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

We welcome our new social worker who has recently returned from the UK working with critically ill babies and managing complex and vulnerable children. If you would like to support the Monash Children’s Cancer Centre please contact the Monash Health Foundation on (03) 9594 2700.

KIDS WITH CANCERGENEROSUSLY SUPPORTING THE MONASH CHILDREN’S CANCER CENTRE

The Age Run Melbourne will be held on Sunday 26 July at Federation Square and we would love you to be part of the Monash Children’s Hospital team.

Categories include the 3km kids (Saturday 25 July) or the 5km and 10km walk/run or the half marathon.

Sign up at runmelbourne.com.au and select to join the Monash Children’s Hospital team and also select Monash Children’s Hospital as your charity of choice.

For more information please contact Georgina Heaslip on (03) 9594 2135 or email:foundation@monashhealth.org

With the building of the new purpose built hospital for children well underway and due for completion early 2017, Victorian schools have been invited to fundraise and support Monash Children’s Hospital.

SCHOOLS CALL TO ACTION

Schools play a very important role in our fundraising community and we want to recognise their efforts by inviting them to paint a mural on the hoarding surrounding construction of the new hospital. Space is limited so you’ll need to hurry to be a part of this historical event.

Funds raised will support the purchase of vital medical equipment and help make the hospital a special and welcoming place for sick children. If you would like to be involved or for more information, please contact Kathryn Fisher on (03) 9594 7681 or kathryn.fisher@monashhealth.org

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Don MacLean was a long-term patient at Monash Health spanning more than 25 years. He was first diagnosed with end-stage renal disease when he was referred by his GP to the renal unit, then known as Prince Henry’s Hospital.

Keen to help others going through a similar experience, and give them the benefit of his knowledge, Don started giving talks to newly diagnosed renal disease patients about what to expect once on dialysis, and continued this patient education with the renal unit for a number of years.

After only month’s on dialysis, Don was lucky enough to be matched for a donor kidney, and underwent renal transplant surgery at Prince Henry’s. Once Don returned home, his life was

If you would like information on In Memorium donations in lieu of flowers, please contact Kathryn Fisher on (03) 9594 7681.

If you would like to make a donation to the Kidney Care team please contact:Janene Blanchfield-Brown on (03) 9594 2063.

transformed, no longer needing to spend 4-6 hours, three times a week, hooked up to the dialysis machine. Unfortunately Don’s first transplant did not last long term, as it was attacked by the same autoimmune disease that caused his original kidney disease. Don returned to dialysis, with on-going outpatient clinic visits, which by this time was at the new Monash Medical Centre in Clayton.

After a further three years on dialysis, Don was again given the ultimate gift, receiving a second renal transplant. By this time, Don was retired, and this transplant, which would function well for the rest of his life – 21 more years – allowed him and Jan to live a full and active life. To help highlight the need for organ donation, Don competed in three World Transplant Games. The gift of organ donation allowed Don to see the birth of his three grandchildren and their growth into happy and confident teenagers. It also allowed him to actively contribute to his local community after retirement.

Don never took his health or his transplant for granted, and remained grateful to the unknown donor family who, with their gift, opened up life for both Don and his family. He continued throughout his life with the expert support provided to renal transplant outpatients at Monash Health, and he was cared for in the Renal

Ward (34 South) for the last six weeks of his life.

Don MacLean passed away on 11 November 2014. His family chose to collect donations at his funeral in lieu of flowers to raise funds for the Kidney Care team at Monash Health in recognition of their dedication and wonderful work.

A LIFE WELL LIVED . . .AND A FINAL AMAZING THANK YOU FROM HIS FAMILY

STORMING AUSTRALIA - AN EPIC QUEST

7FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH | Autumn 2015 |www.monashhealth.org | www.facebook.com/MonashHealthTelephone: (03) 9594 2700

Monash Children’s Hospital’s very own storm trooper has swum with crocodiles, walked with dingos, been bitten by snakes, walked in near 100% humidity and Queensland’s cyclonic weather. Scott took a little time off to see his family and star in Melbourne’s Moomba parade before he went back to Queensland to continue his walk around Australia raising funds for Monash Children’s Hospital. To donate go to ‘Storming Australia’ on Facebook or Everyday Hero.

Don’s transplant meant that he did not have to spend 4-6 hours, three times a week, hooked up to a dialysis machine.

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13CABS MEMORIAL CRICKETDRIVING SUCCESS FOR MONASH CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

The famous Melbourne weather tried to upstage the 13CABS Memorial Cup but nothing could dampen the spirits of the cricket players and the supporters. Held at Essex Heights Reserve on Monday 23 February an All-Star team captained by Australian cricket champion Matthew Elliot and including Tony Gabbert from Monash Imaging played a passionate team of 13CABS drivers in an entertaining game. 13CABS organised the match to honour colleagues who had lost their lives on the job and to raise money for the new Monash Children’s Hospital. Thanks to the sponsors and on-field talent, more than $16,500 was raised on the day.

“The support of companies like 13CABS is vital for the Monash Children’s

Hospital to be able to provide the best care for patients and their families,” said Professor Nick Freezer, Medical Director of Monash Children’s Hospital.

“Fundraising events such as this make a real difference for sick children in our community and we are very grateful to 13CABS for their generous support.”

WORKPLACE GIVING MAKING A REAL AND LASTING DIFFERENCE

SUPPORT US

FOR HELPING SHARE THE CARE Every day Monash Health

employees help change lives, not only through their care to patients and families, but also through personal giving.

The message from staff at Victoria’s largest health service is clear. ‘We want to give!’. The official Monash Health Workplace Giving Program, iGive, was launched late last year to more than 14,000 Monash Health staff, to an overwhelming positive response.

Staff, led by executive leaders, have joined the program and are committed to supporting the funding needs across Monash Health’s major hospitals and future funds. The next phase will be an external launch to the public, to encourage all individuals and the organisations where they work to support the program as part of their corporate social responsibility strategy.

A genuine and sincere thank you to all of you who supported the Share the Care Gift Catalogue Appeal last Christmas. This Christmas Gift Catalogue, a first for Monash Health, featured many of the urgent funding needs across a number of Monash Health programs. The response was overwhelming with people looking for meaningful Christmas gifts for their loved ones, that also helped many others. To those of you who contributed, you are so special. While you may never see first-hand the difference

“The iGive program is about believing in what we do. It’s about promoting a culture of philanthropy and standing by the world class service we provide,” said Andrew Williamson, Head of Public Affairs and Foundation

For more information about how you can incorporate workplace giving into your organisation, please email igive@monashhealth.org or contact Anna Petersen on 9594 4904.

‘Natahl is the Midwifery Unit Manager at Dandenong Hospital and was one of the first members to join iGive’

THANKS

If your company would like to raise money for our new Monash Children’s Hospital please contact the Monash Health Foundation on (03) 9594 2700. Your support will purchase state of the art equipment and support sick Victorian children and their families.

your generosity has made please know you have had a positive impact on many lives who really needed it.

FOUNDATION FOR HEALTH | Autumn 2015 |www.monashhealth.org | www.facebook.com/MonashHealthTelephone: (03) 9594 2700

Simon Purssey from 13 CABS (R) with Tony Gabbert from Monash Health who played in the winning All Stars team.