Family joins plea for kid-friendly centre
LESLEY Dunn was just a mischievous toddler when she climbed up on a couch and fell through a window when its flyscreen gave way.
The then two-year-old fell three metres onto concrete and was non-responsive. Her distressed mum Andie rushed to her daughter’s aid, immediately started CPR and managed to get her breathing before paramedics arrived.
“When I saw Lesley had fallen, I thought — this can’t be happening, this can’t be possible,” Mrs Dunn said.
“My next thought was — she’s not going do die.”
When paramedics arrived they stabilised Lesley and placed her into an induced coma before she was flown by air ambulance to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
There, the doctors determined Lesley had suffered traumatic brain injury. She had small brain bleeding and multiple skull fractures. She was rushed into surgery and a monitor was placed into her skull. Doctors worked to drain blood and fluid.
Surgeons could not tell Mrs Dunn or husband Gareth how the injury would impact their daughter in the long term.
“With brain injury — each one is so different, so unique so it is hard to know what impact it will have,” Mrs Dunn said.
Mr and Mrs Dunn did not know if their daughter would walk or talk again. After three days in the ICU Lesley was gradually woken from her coma and began rehabilitation.
Lesley had trouble lifting her head and had to be supported to do so. Then one day Lesley dropped something and walked independently to pick it up. The family was hugely relieved.
Lesley was discharged and has since had a number of follow-up appointments in Melbourne and attended Geelong’s Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service — a dedicated service for young people in the Barwon South West Region.
In 2016, the VPRS saw 156 patients from the Geelong region and assisted 108 in the first half of 2017.
These children are treated in the Community Rehabilitation Centre at the McKellar Centre, which has been designed for adults.
The Dunn family is one of many families behind the Barwon Health Foundation Bricks4Kids campaign to raise money for a specialised centre for children. Each brick will help the foundation raise the $3.6 million needed to build the centre.
To support the campaign visit www.bricks4kids.org.au or contact the Barwon Health foundation on 4215 8900.