‘My children wouldn’t be here without it’

“If it weren’t for the investment in medical research, neither of our children would be here today,” grateful Western Australian mum Tahnae Hammond said.

“I try not to take any moment we have together as a family for granted because I know how close we came to losing both of them.”

Tahnae and husband Anthony’s precious children, Ava and Logan, now six and four, both suffered life-threatening complications at birth.

Ava was severely anaemic and not breathing at birth due to an undiagnosed placental tear and needed immediate resuscitation.

Parents Tahnae and Anthony were told that she had been ‘bleeding out’ for a long time but that ultrasounds had not picked up the changes in the fluid composition.

Ava recovered to become the healthy six-year-old she is today, however, tragically the young parents again found themselves facing another life-threatening birthing experience two years later.

Ava’s baby brother Logan suffered a bleed which saw his brain starved of oxygen and resulted in him being rushed to Fiona Stanley’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to begin lifesaving cooling treatment just as his older sister had.

“They put Logan on a cooling mat, which looks like a big air conditioner, and which dropped his body temperature to 32-34°C. We were told it was Logan’s best chance at avoiding permanent brain damage.”

“I was amazed when I learnt the cooling procedure research is led by Consultant Neonatologist Professor Shail Mehta and the team here at Fiona Stanley Hospital, along with many other Aussie hospitals, to improve the safety and application of the brain cooling procedure to save more babies.

“And I was even more amazed to learn that research like this is only possible thanks to community support from organisations like The Hospital Research Foundation Group.

“My two beautiful children wouldn’t be here without it.”

The Hospital Research Foundation Group funds life-changing medical research to find cures and improve healthcare for all Australians.

Merging last year with the Fremantle-based Spinnaker Health Research Foundation, which has a 27-year history of supporting medical research in WA, the charities combined now deliver real impact in over 50 areas of disease and illness.

The Foundation’s new campaign “Fighting for the everyday” features real-life stories from people connected to the charity who have survived testicular cancer, heart-lung transplant surgery and birth complications.

The campaign calls on all Western Australians to “join the fight for the only thing that really matters – the everyday”.

The Hospital Research Foundation Group General Manager in WA, Dana Wallace-Campbell, said everyone can relate to the concept of “fighting for the everyday”.

“When you’re battling health issues, all you want to do is those everyday things you often take for granted without pain or medication – without wondering how many of these moments you may have left.”

All funds donated to the charity in Western Australia are reinvested back into WA research, hospitals and healthcare initiatives.

The Hospital Research Foundation Group funds life-changing medical research to find cures and improve care for all Australians. Visit the website to find out more.