A Happy Christmas Story
Posted by Gordon Cheyne on Dec 22, 2016
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Often its not what you know but who you know, that gets the job done. Peter Lugg had obtained a couple of Image Intensifiers to include in his projected container to Cambodia, and we wondered if they were in safe working order: these X-Ray machines generate a whole lot of radiation, but who would know how much leaks out?
The story of the all who came to the help is a wonderful Christmas Story in itself.
My rugby referee friend Mat van Heerden is a medical equipment representative, and he put me in touch with Andrew McGavin, a medical technician at Western Health. After viewing the machines, Andrew asked Physicist Leah Biffin to check them out for leaks. Leah came along to DIK and pronounced one Image Intensifier to be on its last legs, and hardly worth repairing. The other, a GE model was good, but the batteries failed to charge properly. Not a flashlight battery or even a car 12 volt battery, but two sophisticated 97 volt batteries, which we discovered to our dismay, cost $2,900.00
So Leah contacted Steve White, Service Delivery Manager of GE Healthcare, who promised to look into things. Steve did more than look, he found two second-hand batteries for us, and asked technician David Higgins to install them. On Thursday morning, David installed the batteries and provided a working key to the Image Intensifier, which is now up and running, ready to be loaded with the rest of Peter Lugg’s equipment. So many thanks to GE Medical for their kind assistance.
Leah Biffin also went the extra yards, she gave us several protective lead aprons for the radiographers, and she found two other Image Intensifiers for us! One is in the Alfred Hospital store room, which they say we can have once they check it out, and a smaller model is at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and which is also available for donation.
Although the DIK store is now closed following the Volunteer’s Xmas Party, David Dippie will collect these machines with the DIK truck once they are cleared to go.
What a wonderful chain of helpful people we discovered, all willing to assist in our project to provide medical aid for Cambodia. Thanks to them all, for giving us an especially merry Christmas.