A group of nurses and Hawke’s Bay community members set an inspiring rowing goal for themselves, undertaking a symbolic journey faced by thousands of worried parents each year.
A harrowing 640km journey between Hawke’s Bay’s Special Baby Care Unit to Wellington Hospital’s Neonatal Care Unit is standard for some new parents of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses or developmental issues.
Nurse Emily Mains wanted people to realise that length was no easy feat, so she set up a unit fundraiser last weekend that saw everyone from cops to ambulance staff mount the rowing machine to reach that goal.
“I thought it might give us a small insight into how far these families have to go at such a stressful time. It’s just a drop in the ocean of any feeling they may have, but it’s about coming together and recognising that distance and how far away they are from family and friends.”
Hawke’s Bay clinical nurse manager of paediatric at the special care baby unit, Michelle Robertson, said all the kudos needed to go to Mains, who has been with the unit for about five years.