A five-figure donation helped the Barrhead Healthcare Centre acquire two new specialty beds for their palliative care unit.
Originally, the beds which arrived on June 2, were going to be acquired through its Tree of Hope fundraising campaign, but site manager Linda Wolfram said they would have come up short unless it wasn’t for the generosity of one particular family that they were able to meet their goal.
“Both beds cost $18,000 a piece and worth every penny. They are able to reposition patients without them [patients] having to physically move and each of the beds can adjust to a sitting position if the patient is not mobile enough to get out of bed anymore.”
Wolfram said the Wallace family donated $11,000.
“It was through their very generous donation that we were able to meet our goal this year. Unfortunately in our community we have a lot of palliative patients and it just helps them through the end stage of their journey, to be as comfortable as possible,” Wolfram said, adding the family had contacted the hospital and donated the funds in memory of their mother, Lillian, who had passed away around the time of the fundraiser.
“We have such a generous community and they have proven it every year, not just at Christmas time when we have the Tree of Hope campaign, but throughout the entire year. That’s why we are able to get the extra equipment that we have at our site and for that reason, we are very fortunate to have what we have in our building, for our rural community.”
The Tree of Hope campaign is used by many hospitals and health care centres across Canada to raise money for much needed initiatives and equipment. Donors are able to contribute to the campaign by buying Christmas light and donations, which are then put on the hospital’s Tree of Hope. The Barrhead campaign has been going on for more than 15 years.
