Donation will save lives
New coil installed in MRI machine
LACHLAN Miles used to travel to Brisbane several times a month to have an MRI as the machines in the Toowoomba Hospital could not support the stimulator device he has in him.
The teenager, who has severe refractory epilepsy, can now have the scans done in the Toowoomba Hospital after the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation purchased a special transmit-receive coil for the machine.
If he was to use the machine before the coil was installed, the machine could have severely damaged his stimulator.
“It means I don’t have to go to Brisbane and on those long drives,” Mr Miles said.
“It’s a lot more comfortable now as I know a lot of the hospital staff in Toowoomba a lot more than Brisbane, as it’s my hometown.”
Toowoomba Hospital director of medical imaging Aiden Cook said most MRI machines these days only used a receive coil, but that created issues for people with stimulators, implants and other forms of medical technology.
“These transmit-receive cameras are not that common these days, we used to use them all the time to scan people,” Mr Cook said.
“The only way we can scan Lachlan here is to use the transmit-receive coil.”
The funds for the new coil were donated by Tess Bourke and WPM Sheet Metal Works.
“I have a huge fear of MRI machines and am a regular volunteer at the Toowoomba Hospital Foundation,” Ms Bourke said.
“Aiden told me recently about the new machine and said I won’t be claustrophobic in it. He said we are just missing one part, that’s the coil, and from there he told me Lachlan’s story.
“I went and met him and his mum and I just knew we had to raise the money.”
Ms Bourke raised the funds through hosting a golf day.
Photo: Tobi Loftus