sick youngsters. Wendy Petrie’s battle to help

1 News At 6pm newsreader Wendy Petrie (left) reveals how a frightening night with a sick toddler led her to throw her support behind a campaign to help other youngsters. Kerry Harvey reports.

Few parents ever forget the fear that comes with watching a child struggle to breathe and One News presenter Wendy Petrie is among them. More than a decade ago, Petrie spent a night in hospital with her daughter Maddison, now 14, when the toddler suffered a severe asthma attack. “I really didn’t know what was going on. That was such a scary, nerve-racking time,” Petrie says, adding the trauma of that short hospital stay has never left her. Now, in her role as an ambassador for Middlemore Hospital’s Kidz First children’s hospital, she is hoping to reduce the stress other parents and children go through when admitted to hospital. “I’ve now learnt to manage (the asthma) properly but I didn’t know what I was dealing with that first time. It was a shock,” she says. “I hated spending a night in hospital with a child so I really feel like these families need the best care and they need a welcoming environment because it is very frightening.” Petrie is a long-time supporter of the Middlemore Foundation which works to

supplement government support by raising funds to improve the region’s health services. It provides everything from toys and clothing to major equipment.

In the past, she has helped with projects like Jammies In June which ensures young patients are given warm nightwear on admission to hospital. However, now her own children – Maddison, Liv, 12, and Zach, eight – are growing up, she wants to do more.

To that end, the news presenter is throwing her weight behind the Kidz First emergency department upgrade project.

“I feel like I need to step up and do a little bit more. And it’s just been great timing because the Kidz First emergency department is nearly 20 years old,” Petrie says.

“When Simon Dallow (her fellow 1 News At 6pm presenter) opened Kidz First with a big hurrah, it was an amazing new building, but I recently did a tour of the emergency department and was just struck by how dated it looked. It was old and tired and just not welcoming.”

Petrie is not the only one to feel that way. Plans for refurbishment and renovation work are in place to both modernise the department and bring some services more in line with community needs.

However, there is no government funding available for the work so the Foundation is looking to the community for the necessary funds.

“At this stage it looks like $5 million is needed for construction costs so that is a big ask but I think we’re up for it,” Petrie says, adding some money has already been raised but much more is needed.

The makeover includes providing facilities to deal with young mental health patients and pregnant teens plus introducing fast-track bays that will be used to assess and prioritise young patients needing care.

“What they have recognised is despite trying to make families go to GPs or A&E clinics when their children are sick, they still come to Middlemore Hospital and there is nothing they can do about that,” Petrie says.

Middlemore Hospital serves a population of more than 520,000 people and this is expected to rise to more than 600,000 by 2025. More than 20 per cent of these are under 14 years old.

Not only does the hospital cater for a higher proportion of children than the overall New Zealand population, the 2013 census revealed 36 per cent of those people were living in areas classed as the most socio-economically deprived in the country.

“South Auckland is an enormous area – growing and growing and growing – and there’s a lot of poverty,” Petrie says.

“Kids are coming in with rheumatic fever and other Third World problems. We need to make sure we have the right facilities to look after them.” Petrie is no stranger to the area. “That’s where I grew up. I’m a South Auckland girl,” she says.

“I was born in Wellington but we moved to Manurewa when I was four and Mum still lives there.

“I went to Manurewa High School and Counties Gymnastic Club, the local netball, so I’m passionate about the area.

“My experience growing up there was amazing.

“I’m just happy to do anything I can to raise awareness that Kidz First really needs a makeover and anything we can do to help would be amazing.”

If you would like to donate to Kidz First, the Middlemore donation email address is www.middlemorefoundation.org.nz