When paediatric nurse Helen Stevens stepped on stage at the 2008 Balmoral Burn Sponsors’ Dinner she could have had no idea of the impact she would have.

But, as she told of how a three-year-old girl in the Hunter New England region had died because the hospital in which she was being treated did not have a relatively simple and cheap piece of medical equipment, the room fell silent.

The three-year-old girl’s condition made it impossible to get intravenous access and she was unable to get the life-saving fluids and drugs she needed in critical time.
Mrs Steven, who has spent her entire life working with sick children, vowed that no other child would suffer the same fate in her vast region of rural NSW where hospitals are often strapped for resources and doctors.

"I am very passionate about rural health, and the needs of children and families who face such disadvantage by distance from tertiary health services. I strive to bridge that gap and ensure that all children, regardless of where they live, can access safe, effective health care when the need it most" Mrs Stevens said.

Within minutes of her speech, Humpty’s ever-generous Good Eggs brought all nine of the life-saving pieces of equipment to which Mrs Stevens referred – the Ezy Intra-Ossesous access kit (EZIO), each of which is worth $3,160.
The kits essentially are a drill with a needle attached and they allow trained medical and nursing staff to administer resuscitative fluids and medications directly, safely and easily through the shinbone when a vein cannot be found for an intravenous drip.

Mrs Stevens said that as a result of the support from Humpty, doctors were relieved to know that their ability to respond quickly and relatively easily has improved greatly.

If each device is only used once, then the value of that piece of equipment is immeasurable and for the family of that child, irreplaceable.

In 2008, Humpty supporters have purchased a total of 32 EZIO devices for hospitals in northern NSW, from Tamworth to Wee Waa and Moree and Tenterfield.

Mrs Stevens said ‘the device really does have the capacity to save children’s lives”. And she knows first-hand.

2008 was a milestone year for Humpty as the biggest ever purchase of medical equipment, a iE33 Vision Echo-Cardiograph System for the Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick for $250,000 was spontaneously purchased at the 2008 Balmoral Burn Sponsors’ Dinner.

“We are very grateful for the long-standing support that Humpty Dumpty has provided to the Children’s hospital,” Executive Director Professor Les White said.

“This item is a very valuable piece of equipment – it’s for kids with heart problems and particularly those who are in need of serious care and intensive care” White said.

The new equipment replaced an echocardiography machine that was more than 15 years old, and enables doctors to diagnose even the most difficult congenital heart defect in babies within a few minutes.

The hospital has about 800 admissions into its paediatric intensive care unit each year and can perform five open-heart operations every week. According to Prof White, the machine will have a huge impact at the hospital because it looks after such a large number of children from across the State – and that’s another reason why the hospital values its Humpty partnership because the charity also helps children from every corner of NSW.

Paul Francis, Humpty’s founder and Executive Chairman said the iE33 purchase was inspirational. “It was only put in front of people on the night, so no one had any knowledge of it and the reaction was nothing short of incredible. The generosity of our supporters continues to astound me,” he said.