By Jill Sperling

VIDEO:Campaigning begins for the 10th annual Give a Little Life Day

Oct 10, 2015 | 12:41 PM

The Victoria Regional Hospital has officially kicked off their 10th annual Give a Little Life campaign.

The Radiothon is set to broadcast on December 4th from 6 a.m. – 6 p.m. on 900 CKBI, Power 99FM, and Mix 101FM. Funds raised will go towards the purchase of seven telemetry units for Victoria Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

According to Victoria Hospital’s executive director, Sherry Buckler, these are important heart monitoring systems for patients with heart or respiratory conditions.

“You can imagine that if you are in the ICU and you’re suffering from a life-threatening condition how important monitoring really is,” said Buckler.

The telemetry units also allow for mobile monitoring, which means patients can walk alongside a nurse and have their condition monitored every step of the way.

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There used to be telemetry units in the ICU, but according to Buckler they were very old and the hospital no longer has any.

With a cost of about $320,000, the hospital has a long way to go to raise the money it needs.

“We encourage people to start thinking about it now,” said Buckler. “It takes a long time to raise that kind of money and that’s why we’re getting started so early.”

Fortunately, the Victoria Hospital has seen significant success with the campaign in previous years.

Last year, Give a Little Life raised over $420,000 for pediatrics and obstetrics, surpassing the goal of $400,000.

Buckler said it was important to purchase equipment for that area of the hospital.

“It’s actually one of the most sensitive areas,” said Buckler. “The individuals in ICU are fighting, literally, for their lives so having the most sophisticated equipment in there and enough of it is vital for a lot of these folks survival.”

The Give a Little Life campaign has gotten off to a good start this year with two major donations. Buckler said the Emma Lake Golf Course donated more than $20,000, which was raised through two golf tournaments.

The Northern Lights Community Development Corporation is also a big supporter with a donation of $42,000.

“Every donation, whether it be small…to very large, everything is going to help us at the end of the day when we have our radiothon in order to assist us in purchasing this equipment for the hospital,” said Buckler.

Buckler said she was grateful for the community’s support of the Give a Little Life campaign in years past.

“This is one of the most beloved events in Prince Albert,” said Buckler, “and it would not be without all of the support of all of Prince Albert and the listening audience of the radio stations.

“Our hospital serves most of northern and central Saskatchewan, so we like to say, ‘if you can hear this, this is your hospital and you can help us.’”

Donations can be submitted online, at the Victoria Hospital Offices, or by calling in during the December 4th Radiothon broadcast.

jsperling@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jnsperling