This year the Lara Fire Brigade will be a part of the Good Friday Appeal for the first time, all because of a young girl named Evie.
In March 2022, Evie, then six years old, was rushed to Geelong hospital with breathing difficulties before being transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) with complications relating to a complex case of pneumonia.
Evie underwent surgery to drain the fluid around her lungs while her father Ashley Blain, who has been volunteering with the CFA since early 2007 and is now a second lieutenant with Lara Fire Brigade, waited alone nervously.
“We were expecting our brave little girl to go in for a complex but routine surgery, only to get the call saying she’d been intubated and taken to the intensive care unit (ICU),” Mr Blain said.
“This was possibly one of the worst situations imaginable for us as parents.
“My wife Sarah was home in Geelong with our youngest daughter Georgia, so I was alone at the hospital and so scared for what was happening.”
Mr Blain said the care and support RCH nurses, doctors, support staff and volunteers gave them was amazing and he and his wife could not thank them enough.
“From the nurse that calmed me down when Evie was taken to the ICU, to the doctors that explained complex medical terms in plain language, right through to the support teams that entertained Evie to give us a break from her bedside,” he said.
“Evie’s stay was a short one compared to a lot of other children, but the care provided for such a sick little girl, and her scared Dad, was brilliant.”
Mr Blain said after the ordeal he and as family wanted to do something to help the RCH in its mission.
“After this experience, our family knows first-hand how important the Royal Children’s Hospital is, and we want to give back in any way we can,” he said.
“Being a member of the fire brigade, I know the strong connection and history CFA has with the Good Friday Appeal, so I spoke with the brigade Captain to see what we could do.”
As a result, Lara Fire Brigade held a fundraising barbecue at Lara Quality Meats on Saturday, March 18, and is also collecting online.
To support the RCH through the brigade’s Good Friday Appeal fundraiser, visit fundraise.goodfridayappeal.com.au/fundraisers/larafirebrigade.
