Little Amelia Broomfield is finally in remission and home for Christmas after being diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in May 2011. After a year in and out of The Royal Children’s Hospital, Amelia will be celebrating Christmas with her family, including her five siblings, in their hometown of Colac. The family spend a great deal of time sharing their Christmas spirit by decorating their house in an array of lights and colourful ornaments.

Click below to watch Amelia’s story on Channel Seven News

Former Winter Olympian Alisa Camplin and her husband Oliver Warner presented a remarkable gift to The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne (RCH) today in memory of their son Finnan.

Alisa and Oliver visited the RCH to unveil a $300,000 state-of-the-art echocardiology scanning machine, purchased with funds generated by the couple’s appeal, Finnan’s Gift.

Finnan Maximus Camplin-Warner was born prematurely on 10th March 2011 after doctors diagnosed him with in-utero congenital heart disease (CHD).  After bravely enduring six open heart surgeries, Finnan passed away at just 10 days of age.

To honour their son and help other babies and families avoid the same anguish, Alisa and Oliver established Finnan’s Gift in May 2011 to raise awareness and much needed funds through the RCH Foundation.  In just three months the couple reached their target enabling the purchase of this crucial piece of cardiac equipment.
Alisa says she cannot thank enough the 3000 individuals, families and organisations who gave so generously after being touched by her family’s story.

“Oliver and I are completely overwhelmed by the charitable warmth of all the generous people who’ve contributed to Finnan’s Gift,” Alisa said.

“We are so proud that collectively Finnan’s Gift has been able to purchase vital medical equipment that will help save lives, and it has helped us start rebuilding ours too.  We never anticipated how spirit renewing the process of achieving this goal would be, and feel indebted to all who helped us,” she said.

RCH Director of Cardiology, A/Professor Michael Cheung, says the leading-edge technology will make a difference for many RCH patients with CHD.

“Congenital heart disease affects approximately 1 in 100 children and is one of the leading causes of death in young children in Australia,” A/Professor Cheung said.

“Some of these children will need treatment in the first few days of life and account for some of the very sickest children in our hospital. On average half of the patients admitted to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit have heart problems.

“A new echocardiography machine will allow better access to the best equipment possible to assess heart structure and function in children of all ages. The machine is a significant upgrade of the echocardiography machine that is currently in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit,” he said.

Finnan’s Gift will continue to raise funds to support RCH doctors, nurses, surgeons and specialists instrumental in Finnan’s care.  Each year, on Finnan’s birthday, a grant will be awarded to an RCH department to directly support patients and families through excellence in leadership and education, technology and equipment, and medical research.

“The team at The Royal Children’s Hospital are truly marvellous and they deserve the absolute best in their ongoing quest to support our children and their families.  Finnan’s Gift will now keep giving, with a targeted annual grant program in place to make a lasting difference,” Alisa said.

Over 3000 families and individuals donated to Finnan’s Gift, including major contributions by: The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation, The Pratt Foundation, Glenn Archer and HeartKids Victoria, Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation, 60 Minutes, Women’s Day, Philips, Collingwood Football Club, Victorian Institute of Sport, Victorian Olympic Council and the Olympic Winter Institute of Australia.

Donations can be made at www.finnansgift.com.au.

After much speculation, Her Majesty The Queen finally announced she would officially open the new Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) on Wednesday 26 October.

RCH CEP Professor Christine Kilpatrick says the new hospital is thrilled The Queen has chosen to visit the hospital and officiate the event . “This is a great privilege and a clear testament to the importance of the Royal Children’s Hospital, not just here in Victoria but internationally,” Professor Christine Kilpatrick said.

It has been almost 50 years since the RCH moved to its current Parkville site. The Queen opened the current hospital in February 1963, one of the most memorable days in the 140 year history of the hospital.

Premier and Minister for the Arts Ted Baillieu today unveiled the stunning landmark artwork in the new Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).

Affectionately named ‘Creature’, the whimsical sculpture by Melbourne artist Alexander Knox is 14 metres tall and located in the hospital’s five storey atrium that is the centrepiece of Main Street, which runs through the hospital.

The artwork forms one of the key features of the new RCH and also ‘pARTicipate’, the therapeutic, education and creative arts program at the hospital. The program recognises the important role of art in the healing process and is integrated into the overall design features of the new, world-class RCH.

Creature is a playful jumble of organic shapes and colours.  Its kind eyes look at a beautiful butterfly gently flapping its wings.

Artist Mr Knox says the curiosity displayed by both Creature and butterfly for one another is innocent, playful and kind.

“The interaction between these two creatures great and small sends a reassuring signal to a child that the hospital is a friendly place where little things are cared about,” Mr Knox said.

For weeks RCH patients have been crafting their own sculptures of how they imagined Creature to look.  They were delighted today to catch their first glimpse of the huge sculpture, and to glean some plasticine sculpting techniques from the artist.

Floating gracefully above Creature in Main Street are five delicate mobile sculptures by artist Jade Oakley.  Entitled ‘Sky Garden’, the playful suspended artworks feature fairies based on silhouettes of children leaping and jumping.  The mobiles draw on the free-spirited nature of children and evoke a sense of wonder and peacefulness.

RCH CEO Professor Christine Kilpatrick says the hospital’s light-filled atrium, named Main Street, is the perfect setting for these major artworks as it forms the gateway to all hospital services.

“Main Street is the heart of the hospital.  By featuring spectacular Australian art installations, Main Street will provide a backdrop that will become an iconic image in the hospital’s history,” she said.

Professor Kilpatrick says that, in addition to being aesthetically pleasing, art imparts very real health benefits on patients and their families.Common flu turns into a desperate fight for life

Ten-year old Crystal Gallone doesn’t know what hit her.

What should have been a case of the common flu turned into a battle for life.

Crystal was admitted to the RCH when her flu symptoms appeared unusually severe.  As the flu attacked her body, her organs began shutting down and she was sent to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.  There, she suffered a cardiac arrest.

Cardiac surgeon Igor Konstantinov immediately opened Crystal’s chest to expose her heart and place it on a special heart-lung machine, known as extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), to provide circulatory support.  Luckily for Crystal, this surgery saved her life.

After four weeks in hospital, Crystal is now back home working towards a full recovery.  She continues to visit the RCH for physiotherapy appointments and cardiology check-ups.

Dr Konstantinov says it is rare for the common flu to lead to cardiac arrest, with only around three patients presenting to the RCH from around Australia with this complication.

He says Crystal is incredibly lucky to be alive.

It has taken over 100 hospital staff to give little Annie Kerr a second chance at life.

At just six weeks of age, Annie was diagnosed with biliary atresia.  The condition caused her liver to become progressively diseased until it nearly shut down completely.

Annie’s only change at survival was a donation from a stranger – a new liver.

The Herald Sun followed Annie’s incredible journey before, during and after transplant surgery.

Read the Herald Sun feature here: Race to save Annie.

Right: Annie is now loving life with her parents Kerryn and Justin.  Photo courtesy of the Herald Sun.

RCH Director of Neurosurgery Wirginia Maixner has given the intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine in the new Royal Children’s Hospital the thumbs up.

Wirginia was joined by RCH CEO Professor Christine Kilpatrick and Chief Medical Imaging Technologist Michael Kean this morning as they enjoyed a sneak peek of the machine before its magnet is switched on in coming weeks.

The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) will be the first paediatric hospital in Australia to offer intraoperative MRI, changing the face of neurosurgery and cardiac procedures for Australian children.

The intraoperative MRI machine will enable surgeons to perform MRI scans during brain surgery without the need to leave theatre or move the patient from the table, enhancing patient safety.

In addition to a neurosurgery theatre, the complete system will include an interventional theatre for cardiac procedures and a diagnostic centre – the three room configuration an Australian first and a paediatric world first.

The high-field MR scanner can be deployed into any of the three rooms, allowing rapid and efficient transitions between imaging and surgery.  On demand, the scanner will rotate into position and slide smoothly into the required room.  Images can be taken before, during and after procedures.

“This changes everything.  It means that we can do it all in the same procedure.  It’s much safer for the patients, it improves their chance of survival.  It’s a huge, huge bonus,” Wirginia said.

“One admission, one anaesthetic for the patient, one surgery,” she said.

Chief Medical Imaging Technologist Michael Kean says the technology is cutting edge.

“This is like going from driving an old Commodore to driving a BMW…the advance in technology is so great,” Michael said.

It is estimated the system will directly benefit around 1,000 patients per year at the RCH.

The purchase of the IMRIS system by the RCH Foundation is possible through the Good Friday Appeal, which shows the great support of the people of Victoria to the RCH.

Read the Herald Sun article: $12 million magnet scans will save kids’ lives

Right: RCH Director of Neurosurgery Wirgnia Maixner is impressed with the new intraoperative MRI machine. Photo courtesy of the Herald Sun.