Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal launch at Southland Hospital

Wednesday 8 August 2018

Parents, patients and staff will gather to celebrate the launch of the 12th Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal at Southland Hospital tomorrow (Thursday 9 August).

Thousands of Kiwi kids visit hospital wards each year, and this year’s Appeal aims to raise more than $1.3 million to help those in need.

The Appeal helps children like Jhordaya Shaw by raising money for much needed medical equipment for children’s wards across the country, including the Southland Hospital Children’s Ward.

Jhordaya is a happy, easy going eight year old, and little sister to Shelton. She has a great imagination and loves to sing and dance, having performed in multiple shows, even though she can be a bit shy at times. When she’s not singing and dancing she loves to play with her dolls and dress up, she also plays touch rugby when her health allows. Jhordaya and her family have come to nearly every Countdown launch and cheque presentation since she was born.

Jhordaya was born at 35 weeks with a life-threatening case of Fetal Hy-drops (her lungs kept filling up with fluid). She spent the first four months of her life in the neonatal intensive care unit at Christchurch Hospital before being transferred to Southland Hospital for her ongoing care.

Over the last eight years Jhordaya has regularly been in and out of hospital, spending up to a week at a time in Southland Hospital Children’s ward with chronic respiratory issues. Just this year Jhordaya has been in hospital six times.

Fortunately Jhordaya continues to improve as she grows older. Her parents say that the care she has received has been amazing.

“Jhordaya, along with all the other sick children has benefited greatly from equipment purchased from funds raised from the Appeal. As a local family we’re extremely grateful for this, especially as Jhordaya has been a patient in Room 5 on many occasions, a high dependency room where children are cared for in a child-friendly environment that has been created thanks to Countdown,” says Michelle and Tony Shaw.

Clinical Nurse Manager-Paediatrics, Marie Irvine says the team in the Children’s Ward at Southland Hospital are delighted to be chosen to benefit from the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal once again this year.

“Every year the local Countdown team show such a commitment to helping children who use our hospital services. It’s wonderful that local children benefit from the appeal which helps to make a real difference to their stay in hospital. We’re very grateful for their ongoing support and for all the equipment and comfort measures they’ve raised money to provide over the years,” says Marie.

This year’s Appeal runs from 6 August until 28 October 2018, and money raised in the regions stays in the regions. You can get behind the Appeal by:

• Visiting any Countdown and donating at the checkout
• Buying a wristband or raffle ticket in-store
• Getting involved in your local store’s fundraising activities
• Donating while you're doing your shopping online by selecting Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal as a product.

Launching at Southland Hospital on 9 August, Countdown stores will be working alongside their local children’s wards to host fundraising activities. From selling cheese rolls to hosting cake stalls, hundreds of Countdown and hospital ward staff will be rallying the Southland community to support the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal.

Celebrating its 12th anniversary, the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal has raised over $723,000 for Southland since it began through country-wide fundraising activities.

For more information on the Countdown Kids Hospital Appeal visit www.countdown.co.nz/community-environment/countdown-kids-hospital-appeal or enquire at your local Countdown store.

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