The Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation can now purchase a prenatal CMAC machine for premature babies thanks to a generous community donation. The $20,000 donation came from funds raised through the annual Tiny Hands of Hope Illuminate the Night fundraising dinner to help towards the GPRH pediatric unit.
Vice President Kim Stajkowski says they did not have a specific goal on how much money they wanted to raise; however, they were sure they wanted to raise the money and help with the CMAC machine purchase as they have heard experiences from parents who faced a situation without one being available.
“Yesterday, we donated $20k toward the CMAC machine, which is exciting cause it’s that much closer to them getting that piece of equipment that could help save little people’s lives,” Stajkowski adds.
Prior to the March 18th, 2023 Illuminate the Night Gala, Tiny Hands of Hope President Tia Sheehan explained to MyGrandePrairieNow.com what the CMAC machine is and how it will be used.
“Premature babies’ airways are so tiny and often underdeveloped. They can be very difficult to intubate, sometimes they can cause trauma to their delicate airway,” Sheehan says.
“So, this life-saving machine has an endoscopic camera and intubation pieces that fit those micro-sized, prematurely born babies to help intubate them on the first try.”
Sheehan also thanks donors who made the event a success and helped with the donation. Those include Peace Diagnostic Centre, SHIFT Imaging, and Women’s Imaging Centre.