Patients like Mia to benefit from Westmead redevelopment
Mia has few early memories of her time in hospital. She recalls her parents' constant presence and the visiting clown doctors.
The twelve-year-old hadn't yet celebrated her second birthday when she was diagnosed with an advanced type of Neuroblastoma in 2012. A decade of treatments, interventions, and hospital visits followed, turning her family's lives upside down.
There are a lot of unknowns when you come into the ward,鈥� said Mia's father, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin.
鈥淵ou've got the news that your child has got cancer, and straight away, that causes a lot of anxiety.鈥�
Main construction is underway on a new at The Children's Hospital at Westmead to better support patients like Mia, who require acute or critical healthcare across multiple departments.
"When your child gets diagnosed, you want to feel like you are in the best place," said Mia's mum, Karina Haddin.
If there's a state-of-the-art facility being built that makes parents and children feel more comfortable, it's fantastic," said Mia's mum, Karina Haddin.
"By co-locating all the acute services in the PSB, it will allow the most critically ill patients to receive holistic care,鈥� said CHW Stage 2 redevelopment project director Cassie Hainsworth.
The design will support patient well-being and their carers' comfort while facilitating the best working environment for staff to provide exceptional care. It will feature single-patient bedrooms and more places for families to be together and play outdoors.
Mia now only visits the hospital for check-ups, but the new facilities would have made a world of difference to her family.
"To walk outside, to go on the swing and have a bit of normality. Even to have some fresh fruit, those little things make a big difference when you are here 24/7," said Brad Haddin.
"Often doctors have to give bad news and it would be great to have room for yourself and your family to deal with that. You don't want to be around when another family is going through it and vice versa."
"What they are doing at the moment (with the redevelopment) is enormous, and it takes away a lot of the anxiety about coming into the hospital,鈥� he said.
The redevelopment also includes a multi-storey car park and refurbishment of the existing hospital building, including a forecourt with more green spaces.
Construction on the Paediatric Services Building is expected to be completed in 2025.