By Mikayla van Loon
For Croydon mum Ruby Rhodes, her two interactions with the Royal Children’s Hospital for daughter Tilly were nothing but positive, receiving incredible care and support both times.
It’s for that reason Ruby decided to combine her passion for stairclimbing and fundraising by taking part in Towers 4 Change, Australia’s first four-tower vertical stair climb challenge debuting on Sunday 30 March.
Able to choose from four different charities, one per tower, to fundraise for, it was a no-brainer when the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) was an option.
“The first time we needed to take Tilly to the Royal Children’s, she was two and a half years old, and she was sitting at home playing with her pa at the little children’s table,” Ruby said.
“Pa made a cup of tea, sat down with her, jumped up to grab his mobile phone and the tea spilled on her, and she ended up receiving burns from that.”
First taking her to a local hospital, about a week later it was advised that Tilly should go to the RCH, where she required surgery to remove the burned skin from her leg.
“The doctors and nurses were so wonderful. A two and a half year old being in an environment that she didn’t know, having to be sedated, and having to undergo that type of procedure, was pretty horrific for us as parents as well,” Ruby said.
“After they repaired the burn and bandaged it, we were sent to clinical specialists for about six months afterwards, where we would go in, they had so many distractions for her, with meerkats that we could wave at and talk to and colouring books. They’re just so children oriented.
“Whilst the focus is on the children and getting them through the procedures they need to get through, they are also so mindful they have to support the family, because it’s tough seeing your children go through this type of thing, and when it’s all said and done, we need to be in a good mental state to be able to support our babies.”
Ruby said this didn’t just extend to the doctors and nurses but also to every staff member in the building, from cleaners to shopkeepers, who were “just so beautiful and so kind”.
Nine years later, Tilly has completely recovered, something Ruby puts down to the expertise of the doctors.
“Because of their active care and continued care, they’ve prevented her from having to have skin grafts. So she did have areas in the burn that were third degree, but because of the way they treated it, they avoided having to have surgery for skin grafting as well.
“Just the level of knowledge, the experience, the understanding, kindness, they’re a complete package there.”
Despite recovering well from her burns, at four-years-old Tilly was also struck down with a bout of pneumonia even though the only symptoms showing up were a stomach ache.
“We took her into (the RCH) emergency, and they whipped her in, and doctors had a consultation together. They took her in for some lung X rays, and came back and said she’s actually got pneumonia.
“We were thinking she had pains in her tummy, and it was something to do with her digestive system. It was actually that she had pneumonia and she was really sick.”
Two nights spent in hospital on antibiotics and getting her hydrated, Ruby said Tilly came out “like a new little girl”.
Fast-forward to today, Ruby is readying herself to climb her biggest stair challenge yet in Towers 4 Change but as a seasoned professional having done many stair climb challenges, including the Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb, she’s looking forward to taking on the 1400 stairs.
“That’s my big fundraiser for mental health, for our emergency services and I really got into that. We carry 20 kilos upstairs for that one, so it’s a big training effort. I entered into a couple of other tower climbs, just because I started to get a little bit hooked,” she said.
Ruby will start at tower three, completing 69 floors before moving onto tower four, 71 floors, tower one, 82 floors and finishing in tower two with 64 floors at the West Side Place precinct in Melbourne.
Preparing herself by using the stairclimbers at the gym and climbing stairs with a weighted backpack at places like the Ferntree Gully Quarry Reserve, Ruby said physically she feels ready but there’s always the mental challenge too.
“My experience with dealing with mental health and being in the emergency services, it’s good to challenge myself mentally, to show myself that I do have resilience and the capacity to get through anything.
“And I think that’s why I chose the Royal Children’s Hospital, because the link to the mental health part there, I just remember how mentally strong I needed to be in that moment with my daughter.”
The event, hosted by West Side Place developer Far East Consortium, aims to raise $200,000 – split equally among the four charities – to help now and into the future.
“This four-tower climb exemplifies our commitment to fostering a vibrant community. By bringing
people together for this unique event, we aim to benefit everyone involved, from residents to participants and beyond,” marketing and sales director Lauren Sheldon said.
As the Good Friday Appeal approaches too, executive director Rebecca Cowan said every donation helps support patient care at RCH.
“We are thrilled to be selected as a charity partner for the West Side Place Towers 4 Change, a unique and challenging event,” she said.
“These funds will have a profound impact funding state of the art equipment, research, training and patient and family centred care programs to continue the world class care provided by The Royal Children’s Hospital.”
To support Ruby’s fundraiser, visit goodfridayappealtowers4change25.grassrootz.com/royal-childrens-hospital-good-friday-appeal/ruby-rhodes
