Little Miss Eva Mitchell has a healthy home thanks to DVS

Little Miss Eva Mitchell has a healthy home thanks to DVS

When Eva Mitchell’s mum Tiff asked her 29,000 Facebook fans for ideas on how to get a drier, healthier, warmer home, all she expected were a few tips and recommendations. Instead, the family received a warmer, drier, healthier home, thanks to Kiwi company DVS.

Eva Mitchell has been a Kiwi battler since before she was born. When pregnant with Eva, young mum Tiff was told to prepare for a still birth and made arrangements to say goodbye to her second baby. Now 7, Eva has defied the odds time and time again.

Born with a large hole in her left diaphragm which affected the development of her internal organs, Eva has survived numerous serious complications.

Tiff sums it up best: “She is a sick little girl who battles on every single day.”

Last year, Tiff, Eva and older sister Mela (aged 9) finally moved out of the Starship Hospital ward that had been the family’s permanent home since Eva was born, although Eva continues to receive treatment as an outpatient.

Tiff and her girls moved into a house in the West Auckland suburb of Titirangi. Their new home was great and even had a pool, complete with a resident duck and her ducklings! There was just one major problem – the house was cold and damp, particularly in the girls’ bedroom and the downstairs bedroom where Eva’s round-the-clock nurses stay. Even in the height of summer, the dampness was noticeable.

“Walking into the girls’ room you could feel the cold and damp and it was the same downstairs. Plus I was wiping the condensation off the windows every morning. A damp house isn’t healthy for anyone but, for Eva, it’s particularly dangerous.” says Tiff.

Running heaters constantly made for large power bills that often ran into many hundreds of dollars a month.

Wary of facing another expensive, cold, damp winter, Tiff asked the large community of supporters on the Little Miss Eva Facebook page for some advice.

Well-established Kiwi company, DVS, saw the post and knew straight away they could help. They got in touch with Tiff and made arrangements to give the family a DVS Ventilation System. DVS partners, Mitsubishi Electric, also got on board and donated two heat pumps, which DVS installed.

Recognised by Asthma NZ and BRANZ Appraised, DVS Ventilation Systems remove damp, stale, moisture-laden air from the home and replace it with fresh, dry, filtered air.

DVS Managing Director Tony Sandes said the decision to help make Eva’s home healthier was an easy one.

“We are thrilled we could help make Eva’s home more comfortable and safer for her so she can enjoy more precious time at home this winter, rather than in the hospital. The situation was obviously one which needed both DVS ventilation and a heating solution and so we were delighted when Mitsubishi Electric were also able to help ,” says Sandes.

The system has only just gone in but the family is already noticing a difference.

“It’s so cosy and warm, especially at night and, for once, I’m actually not dreading the arrival of the power bill next month,” says Tiff.

With the launch of Tiff’s website ‘Apples For Eva’ (www.appleasforeva.co.nz) this month, Tiff is also looking forward to spending more time on her website and creating her art in the newly warm and dry downstairs area of their home.

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