THE 1200 kilometre for Kids charity bike ride rolled into the Southern Downs on Saturday with a presentation at McNevins Hotel in Warwick.
This year, after travelling 162 kilometres from Ipswich, the riders marked the second day of their journey with stops at Laidley, Pilton and Allora before arriving in Warwick for an official team dinner on Saturday night.
The riders presented a Bilisoft LED Phototherapy System valued at $9680 to Warwick Hospital that will be used in the hospital’s maternity ward. The money is raised for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation.
The machine is used to help treat jaundice in babies. It is something that occurs in 50 per cent of full-term babies and 80 per cent or pre-term babies in their first week of life. If undetected, it can cause cerebral palsy, deafness and/or brain damage.
The Bilisoft LED Phototherapy System is used to treat jaundice, with the baby wrapped in the therapy blanket and kept at the mother’s bedside.
Warwick Hospital’s director of nursing and facility manager Anita Bolton accepted the donation.
“We really appreciate the support the 1200kms for Kids bike riders and the Humpty Dumpty Foundation have given to the hospital over the past few years,” Ms Bolton said.
“The phototherapy device will be a very valuable piece of equipment to help newborn babies receive treatment for jaundice.
“We have around 200 babies a year born at Warwick Hospital and jaundice is a fairly common condition that we need to treat in some of these little ones.
“The beauty of this device is it’s a blanket so the baby doesn’t miss out on cuddles and bonding time while receiving phototherapy.”
McNevin’s Hotel has been supporting the bike riders for the past six years and again provided free accommodation to the riders and their support team.
This year marks the ninth year the ride has been held with the 1200 kilometre journey starting in Ipswich on Friday 16 October and continues after Warwick through Glen Innes, Armidale, Tamworth, Muswellbrook and Newcastle before finishing at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney on Friday 23 October.
