The glasses, which use mirrors, along with a box full of toys were donated to the children’s ward by Starlit Hope, a charity started by Gabby Devine who died of cancer in 2015 aged 13.
Charge nurse manager Shirley Bell was excited to receive the donation of the glasses which allows children to see around them when they are lying on their back.
The MRI procedure is often daunting for children and adults as the kids have to stay completely still. Often children are scared and the result is sedation. The glasses hopefully will make having an MRI less daunting and therefore reduce the need for sedation.
“The glasses use a series of mirrors which allows a child to be lying on their back but able to see around the MRI cylinder and see their family sitting at the end of the bed” Tom Devine said (Gabby's cousin).
“We want to reduce the need for sedation and make childrens hospital experiences easier which is exactly what Gabby’s legacy is all about” –Tom
As well as the glasses, a boredom buster box full of sensory toys designed specifically by Play specialists was delivered by Gabby's cousin Tom and Ella Dickinson, who were proud to be carrying Gabby’s legacy as far south as Dunedin.
Gabby lost her battle with Ewings Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer in 2015. She was diagnosed in 2012 and during her time in Taranaki Base Hopital and Starship hospital she established Starlit hope to carry out random acts of kindness for kids in oncology.
Gabby's legacy is all about spreading kindness to those who are less fortunate. “Gabby would definitely be happy to see this sort of thing happening”.
- Thomas Devine
