Financial gift of nearly $30,000 to ease hospital visits for children in Abbotsford

Time in the hospital will be a little less stressful thanks to a generous gift from an Abbotsford realty office.

RE/MAX Little Oak Realty has donated $29,450 to the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation (FVHCF), for the purchase of a new pediatric ultrasound system.

“The Pediatric Unit and Neonatal Intensive Care Units continue to be grateful recipients of contributions from RE/MAX and we cannot thank you enough,” said Susie Clark, Child Life Specialist at Abbotsford Regional Hospital.

“This gift will aid staff in inserting IVs that last longer than the usual IVs patients receive,” says Liz Harris, executive director of FVHCF. “Their support will make a real difference to the level of care for children and youth in Abbotsford and the surrounding communities including Langley and Surrey.”

For many patients, needles are scary. And when young patients are requiring medications like antibiotics that sometimes need to be given for multiple weeks, the usual IVs just do not last. This means that kids need to have many needles to get through to the end of treatment.

However, with longer-term IVs, caregivers can reduce the number of needles kids need. The new ultrasound will help doctors and nurses guide the longer IVs into bigger veins and help make hospital stays less painful and stressful for many of young patients.

“I can’t thank RE/MAX Little Oak Realty enough for all of their support over the years,” said Harris. Since 2000, they have donated over $350,000 to FVHCF. “They truly care about this community.”

“On behalf of all the Agents at RE/MAX Little Oak Realty, it’s a privilege to make this donation to the Pediatrics Unit at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre,” said Todd Hendrickson of RE/MAX Little Oak Realty. “This hospital means so much to the community and has played such an important role in the health and well-being of our children. We’re proud to support the Pediatrics Unit with the purchase of this vital equipment.”

Funding from RE/MAX over the years has helped to keep families close to their infants and children while in the hospital and helped to make the hospital a more positive experience for so many families. They have given bags with gift cards that help families pay for food while away from home, equipment that helps provide the best care, and comfort items like crafts, kid-friendly bandages, movies and toys. Their funding has also provided craft supplies for the playroom, as well as the small crayon packs available for isolation rooms and for the emergency department.

Anyone wishing to support the Pediatric Unit can do so by contacting FVHCF at 1-877-661-0314 or online at www.fvhcf.ca.

All funds raised in Abbotsford go to support healthcare at Abbotsford Regional Hospital.