Telethon 2023: New Airvo 3 oxygen flow helps baby Ivy make it to Perth Children’s Hospital after scary ordeal

Maddi Panter knows first-hand exactly how important the work of Telethon can be.

The Australind mother was plunged into a world of uncertainty and fear last month when her 15-month-old daughter Ivy had to be flown to Perth Children’s Hospital with a serious respiratory issue.

And Ms Panter said without the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service — and the vital equipment provided to them by Telethon — she would have been beside herself.

“They’re amazing . . . I’d hate to think if they weren’t available for us country people without immediate access to such high-quality health care,” she said.

Ivy, who was born premature at just 25 weeks, has a congenital lung disease which has led her to be admitted to hospital several times already this year.

So when she was diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia by doctors in Bunbury last month it meant she was at high risk.

Mother-of-two Ms Panter said although this was not the first time Ivy had needed serious medical treatment, her condition deteriorated rapidly.

“We woke up fairly well on Sunday morning, a little bit under the weather but nothing that I would have thought would be cause for concern,” she said.

“However, that afternoon I had to call an ambulance to my house as Ivy was unresponsive and was working a lot harder to breathe and she was not herself.”

Due to the severity of the situation, Ivy had to be transported by air to Perth Children’s Hospital, where she stayed in hospital for three days.

Ms Panter said the support from both the RFDS and hospital staff provided some comfort during what were a difficult few days.

“It was one of the scariest nights of my life . . . their support and being their normal doctor selves gave me hope that Ivy was going to be OK,” she said.

The efforts of the RFDS were helped by a new Airvo 3 portable respiratory support device thanks to money raised by Telethon.

The RFDS’ Dr Anthony Rengel was one of the doctors who helped the youngster get to Perth and said the new devices were a game changer for the service and patients like Ivy.

“She needed that extra oxygen but also the extra pressure to help with her breathing efforts’” Dr Rengel said.

“Because babies can get very dehydrated when they’re unwell breathing, we use that humidified oxygen to help keep their airways nice and moist and working well.”

Dr Rengel said support from Telethon was vital in bringing new technology to the RFDS.

“It’s really important because these devices are not cheap and RFDS being a charity we do rely on the community to support us so we can buy this sort of equipment,” he said.

“We often do go out to very remote communities to service on the Northern Territory border . . . so having these high-end devices helps with transporting those patients longer distances.”

After seeing the impact donations can have Ms Panter encouraged everyone to give to Telethon if they can.

“If you can donate please donate, we donate every year and have done so for many, many years,” she said.

“It means Telethon can help continue to fund the equipment and the doctors that they need to keep WA kids safe and healthy.”

Donations can be made on the Telethon website with money raised going to more than 100 beneficiaries.