Medway grandmother raises £1,000 for Dolphin Ward

Date: 22 February 2016

A kind-hearted grandmother has helped raise more than £1,000 for the children’s ward at Medway Hospital.
 
Karen Barnes from Rainham was inspired to set up a special campaign after her granddaughter, Ruby Young, spent time as a patient on Dolphin Ward. Ruby, who is three years old, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma - a rare cancer that mostly affects young children.
 
The money has been raised for a specific purpose: to fund the purchase of a large vein illuminator – a specialist piece of equipment that helps doctors and nurses locate veins much easier, when children need to have cannulas inserted for the delivery or removal of fluid.
 
At what can often be a stressful time for young children in particular, this simple piece of equipment can help make their experience far less daunting.
 
Karen’s campaign immediately caught the imagination and hearts of local people, with more than £1,000 being donated in the first three days of the campaign going live. Both Karen and Ruby visited Dolphin Ward earlier today (Friday, 19 February) to present a cheque of £1,000.
 
Speaking at the presentation, Karen Barnes said: “We would like to say a huge thank you to the people who kindly donated money to this campaign. We know from our own experience with Ruby that she often found the experience of having a cannula fitted to be upsetting.
 
“This piece of equipment will help make the procedure much more bearable for Ruby, and the other children who spend time on Dolphin Ward.”
 
Susan Gillham, Matron on Dolphin Ward said: “We’re really grateful to Karen for her fantastic fundraising efforts. It’s only natural that young children can often find it overwhelming to be in hospital – especially some of the essential treatments they have to undergo.
 
“We always do our utmost to ensure any distress of our young patients is kept to an absolute minimum. This is a great example of how we can make their experience that bit easier.”
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