For 21 years, John and Trish have been giving back to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH), transforming the lives of thousands of sick children and families along the way.
The RCH became a second home for the couple when their first grandchild, a baby boy named Jay, came into the world at just 25 weeks’ gestation in February 2004. The tiny baby was urgently transferred to the RCH’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), known as the Butterfly Ward, where he largely spent the first 10 months of his life.
During their many visits to Butterfly to see Jay and support their daughter, John and Trish saw first-hand the extraordinary care that Jay received and became determined to give back however they could.
They became Bed Sponsors of Butterfly and regular guests at RCH Foundation fundraisers, including the Celebration of Life Ball. Next year will officially mark 21 years of giving back to Butterfly as Bed Sponsors, which will coincide with Jay’s 21st birthday – an occasion they are incredibly grateful for.
“Thanks to the RCH, Jay is a gorgeous sunshine boy – a much-loved young man with a great smile and a happy attitude,” Trish said.
“We would like to thank everybody involved in the RCH, from the specialists to the cleaners, they all support patients throughout their journey,” she added.
Today, the couple is preparing their greatest gift of all – a transformative $2.4 million donation to the RCH Foundation following the recent sale of their business premises in Surrey Hills.
“You look around and think, ‘well, we’ve had a fairly good life, we’re older now and our family is comfortable – why not put the money where it can make an enormous difference?” John said.
Over the years, they have also discovered the Melbourne truism that everyone knows someone who’s been touched by the RCH, which helped solidify their decision to support the hospital further.
“One of our builders had a small daughter who was a cancer patient at the RCH at the same time Jay was there and our Manager, Craig – his son was treated successfully for leukaemia at the RCH,” Trish explained.
“Even the real estate agent who sold our building had a link, with his son’s brain tumour, again successfully, treated at the RCH, she added.
The couple has decided to support key areas of the hospital through their gift – Butterfly, Neurology, and cancer care, in particular leukaemia – as a thanks for the RCH’s life-saving care of not only their family, but also families they know and love.
John and Trish will set up an Endowment with the $2.4 million gift, to ensure a life-long legacy that will continue to give back now and years into the future.
“Whether it takes operations or treatments for children to get well and make the most of life, that takes money. If we can provide some of that and make a difference for the many families touched by the RCH, that’s the most important thing,” John summarised.