Strawbridge Appeal for Moto'otua National Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Samoa

$64,347 of $50,000 goal

Given by 687 generous donors in around 4 months

The Strawbridges want to give something back with your help. Please help us raise funds for the Moto'otua National Hospital ICU, Samoa.

Waikato

+5 images

Andrew, my lovely husband, flew to Samoa from New Zealand on July 6 2015. During the flight, he became unwell and in the early hours of Wednesday 8 July, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Moto'otua National Hospital Intensive Care Unit.

Shortly after his admission, he was seen by Dr David Galler, a simply outstanding physician who usually works at Middlemore Hospital. He and his team cared for Andrew until he was well enough to move. Without these amazing women and men, I can only imagine what would have happened.

The purpose of this page is to raise funds for the ICU. We have received so much assistance, and we've said "yes please" to only a fraction of what has been offered.

We know that many of our friends and the rugby community, both here and far away, really want to do something to help. The ICU could really use some of that love.

We have asked Dr Galler to give us his wishlist of resources, because it was obvious during Andrew's stay that some additional resources and support would allow them to deal with the complexities of dealing with critically ill people on the basis of what they need, not on what's available.

Having wonderful, caring, committed staff just isn't enough - the best possible outcomes in ICU are achieved by having sufficient working equipment, access to world class training, and the right resources in place when they're needed (which is usually immediately).

Please help Dr Galler and his "wonder" ICU team make it much easier to continue their amazing, compassionate work.

The money we raise will go towards medical equipment (the equipment, installation, training and consumables) and training for the team. The following items demonstrate the depth of the need at ICU:

1. a desk top computer for the ongoing development of ICU procedures,treatment guidelines and protocols.

2. syringe pumps for the safe administration of drugs and fluids

3. an echo machine for imaging the heart and putting in lines

4. airway equipment (a glide scope)

5. a dialysis machine for the ICU

6. a transport monitor for vital signs

7. a portable oximeter (for measuring oxygen levels in your body).

We would also like to support further investment in training, such as establishing an ongoing educational scholarship open to both doctors and nurses to help establish a sustainable model of appropriate intensive care services for Samoa.

While our fundraising efforts may not buy all of these things because some of them are very expensive, I would love to think we can make a difference and a dent in the list.

Laura Strawbridge's involvement (page creator)

I am married to Andrew Strawbridge and have recently returned from Samoa where my husband was in the Moto’otua National Hospital Intensive Care Unit. This has been the most frightening time of my life. Being away from home made it all the more intense and stressful – despite the incredible support. This experience has made me realise that in New Zealand, we're so lucky because we get what we need, when we need it. In Samoa, this is not the case and I feel passionately about properly resourcing the wonderful, hardworking nurses and doctors at Moto'otua National Hospital ICU, having seen first hand the great work they do with what limited resources they have.

Other page links

on Facebook

Off to Samoa!!!! 15 February 2016

I updated our Facebook page at the weekend; I'm away to Samoa for a couple of days with Deb, my best girlfriend and the driving force behind the Givealittle appeal. I just wanted to say thank you again to everybody who has donated and for sharing your kind words and your personal experiences with us. I'm looking forward to catching up with as many people as we can over there.

Our Facebook update:

If somebody had told me a year ago that, in 2015, we would have been tested as a family, told death to bugger off in the most profound way, met life-changingly amazing people, been absolutely humbled by the generosity of almost everybody we came across and come out of it all better, stronger and more bound by love than ever, it would have seemed quite unlikely to me!

But it's happened and life has become a deeply special daily experience, for which I am so grateful. It's still hard-going and Andrew continues to improve . He is working hard at getting better and is looking forward to the challenges of the season ahead with the Gallagher Chiefs. Anybody who knows him will appreciate that the struggle is keeping him moving forward sustainably, not like a bull at a gate.

My exciting news is that I'm taking my amazeballs best mate (who dropped everything and came to support Andrew and me in Samoa last July when it was all looking so grim) to Samoa on Wednesday evening. We're only going for a couple of days, but we're going to catch up with the amazing team at the hospital, and as many of the wonderful members of the Samoan community, New Zealand High Commission and rugby community as we possibly can. Oh, and have a couple of cocktails whilst we smother ourselves in mozzie repellent at some stage.

Debs is a simply outstanding human being - if everybody had a bestie like Debs, the world would be a far more wonderful place. As well as being a wonderful Mum to Jono (see photos below of his helping to pack boxes), successful biz whiz, amazing daughter and family member, and my best mate (and fabulous friend to many lucky people), she has been doing an utterly brilliant job of getting the Givealittle appeal funds spent and then getting the items we purchase to the hospital. This is no mean feat; there is a mountain of paperwork to climb every time we send something, and there she is, patiently putting one foot in front of the other, ticking the boxes and doing what needs to be done. If she wasn't doing this, I don't know how I would have found the time, energy or patience and I simply don't have the words to explain just how much she has done for the appeal.

And she's a humble person too; she'll hate me posting this tribute, but I'm excited about our wee trip and hugely keen for people to know just how pivotal she's been in the Givealittle appeal. Love you bestie x

Share this update

Read 13 more updates