OUR 40th Anniversary - Healing Kids: The National Project

FEEDBACK - A Word from the Healing Kids Beneficiaries

"…Healing Kids has become a vehicle for miracles in the lives of thousands of desperately ill children in the Free State and the Foundation should be lauded for their unwavering support…"
Prof Andre Venter, Beds of Hope
"…a grant from the Foundation has made all the difference… this included securing contributions such as the Echo Cardiac Machine for children with severe heart conditions…"
Prof Dania Ballot, Wits Paediatric Fund
"…we have been able to provide open heart surgery to these underprivileged children due to your incredible support and generosity – our success is the fruit of yours…"
Dr Murray Davidson, The Biokanyo Foundation
"…none of this would have been possible without the generosity of the Foundation, along with the continued guidance that you are offering to our Trust…"
Dr Bhavna Patel, Groote Schuur Neonatal Newborns Trust
"…funding from the Foundation has enabled us to become – virtually overnight – a mother-friendly neonatal unit… we now have the largest mother-lodger facility in the country (state and private hospitals inclusive)…"
Prof Susan Delport, Kalafong Hospital
"…the presence of kangaroo care, additional equipment, more training and better working conditions have raised our staff morale… we are confident that statistics will soon show that this has certainly made a difference to the outcomes of our babies and their families…"
Prof Keith Bolton, Rahima Moosa Mother & Child Hospital
"…the neonatal unit is now for all intents and purposes self-sufficient… thank you for keeping our dream alive…"
Prof Robin Green, Steve Biko Academic Hospital
"…our NMR has decreased; the incidence of infectedrelated deaths decreased by 30% and the Healing Kids initiative has generated at least 2 research projects…"
Dr Annelie van der Vyver, Pelonomi Hospital
"…where formula feeds were the backbone of our feeding policy, we have succeeded to establish breast milk as the mainstay of our feeding practice…"
Prof Beyers Hoek, Universitas Hospital
"…since the CPAP drivers were introduced, the number of premature babies that needed ventilation and the days spent on a ventilator were dramatically reduced…"
Dr Pieter Jooste, Kimberley Hospital Complex
"…the ward was converted into a KMC unit with 30 incubators, 20 beds for mothers, phototherapy lamps, infusion pumps, etc… resulting in a decreased morbidity and mortality in low birth weight infants; staff morale has improved greatly… many stories could be told by the milk bank of how little lives have been saved when they were at their most vulnerable and their mothers too ill to feed them…''
Prof Gert Kirsten, Tygerberg Chidren's Hospital
"…the acquisition of this equipment facilitated a position in the unit where we no longer have to defer respiratory support from any child – indeed a massive leap forward… overall, the project increased the level of natural mothering, decreased invasive procedures as well as complications, the length of stay and mortality…"
Dr Marlize Kunneke, Worcester Hospital
"…a further benefit that the training has had, is the improved staff morale within the unit which has translated into better patient care…"
Dr Farhaad Kahn, Dora Nginza Hospital
"…these extra high-care beds with equipment have not only increased access for the babies, but acted as a catalyst for achieving buy-in and support from hospital management… with the greatest benefits achieved in hospitals beyond the tertiary and regional borders…"
Dr Neil McKerrow, Greys Hospital
"…unlike other neonatal units in the country, we had no KMC facility… since we were blessed to have received the Healing Kids funding, we have trained 93 mothers in flash-heating during the past 8 months…"
Prof Miriam Adhikari, King Edward Hospital
"…according to all the audits that have been carried out to date, there has been a marked improvement in our neonatal care…"
Dr Elmarie Malek, Witbank Hospital
"…support such as this has not only highlighted the plight of so many needy children with repairable heart defects, but also helped make a life-saving difference to these children…"
Dr Robin Kinsley, Walter Sisulu Paediatric Cardiac Centre for Africa
"…thank you for your valuable contribution to the ultimate goal of delivering a state-of-the-art children's surgical service to the children of Gauteng…"
Prof Peter Beale, Surgikids
"… in the face of this dire emergency, the courage and foresight of the Fuchs Foundation is to be commended…"
EP Herald, September 2008
"…Dear Dr Kahn …were it not for your new CPAP machine, my premature baby of 900g at birth would not have survived: how could I ever thank you enough?…"
Mrs N, Port Elizabeth
"…Dear Prof Hoek …my baby stayed on the oscillator for 17 days, then the ventilator and then CPAP for a week… my heart was filled with joy when I finally knew for sure: he was going to make it! "
Mrs M, Bloemfontein
"… in the last 8 months we have trained 93 mothers in flash-heating. The first HIV-infected mother to be trained continued once her infant was discharged… he has grown beautifully and is HIV-negative. The mother volunteered to come back to the nursery where she now teaches other mothers how to flash-heat…"
Prof Anna Coutsoudis, King Edward Hospital