Barfoot & Thompson Builds Children’s Health

12 November 2004

Barfoot & Thompson Builds Children’s Health

18 month old Starship patient David Gillespie and children’s television presenter Suzy Cato have put the first months’ building blocks in place as part of Barfoot & Thompson’s Building Our Children’s Health Campaign, which will see Starship Radiology get a new $300,000 state of the art ultrasound machine.

Barfoot & Thompson is donating a Lego building block for each successful property sale* towards the goal of building a two metre high model of Bob the Builder, currently on display in Starship Radiology.

This week 971 building blocks were put in place, representing all Barfoot & Thompson’s sales throughout Auckland and Northland for the month of October.

Young Point Chevalier boy David Gillespie and his family were happy to lend a hand to help build up the model. David is one of the many young children who will benefit from the new ultrasound. He recently had a renal tumour removed by surgery and will need on-going ultrasound monitoring of his condition.

Barfoot & Thompson Director Peter Thompson says, “It was very heartening to see the first month’s worth of blocks go in place, but we’ve still got a long way to go to reach our target.”

Starship Foundation Chief Executive Andrew Young says, “We are delighted to have completed this first step towards funding this much needed new piece of equipment. I would encourage anyone considering listing their property for sale to choose Barfoot & Thompson, so they can also support this very worthwhile campaign.”

The head of Starship Radiology Dr Sally Vogel says the new ultrasound machine is “leaps and bounds” ahead of what is currently used. “It’s faster, meaning more patients can be scanned each day and the improved picture clarity will aid diagnosis and reduce the need for repeat scans. The machine is also completely portable, so it can be easily taken to wards rather than having to move very sick children.”

Dr Vogel says, “One of the best features of the new ultrasound is that it responds to voice command. Scanning small children is particularly challenging as they don’t always stay still and can’t hold their breath on request. With the new machine we will be able to use voice commands while still holding the patient, making the process faster and less stressful for everyone.”

ENDS

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