By Alesha Capone
Anubhav Aggarwal has made a generous donation to Werribee Mercy Hospital, where he spent time as a patient during the thunderstorm asthma event about four years ago.
Mr Aggarwal, who is also known as Anu, was placed on a ventilator for more than 10 hours when weather causing thunderstorm asthma hit Melbourne.
The Point Cook man said he had no history of asthma, but attended his GP’s office when he began showing symptoms.
The doctor gave Mr Aggarwal Ventolin, but the medication did not help, and the GP’s office called an ambulance to take him to hospital.
Mr Aggarwal said that although the whole experience was “a bit shocking” for him, the staff at Werribee Mercy Hospital took excellent care of him.
Mr Aggarwal said he wanted to give back to the staff and wider community, which led to him having a coffee with Werribee Hospital Foundation’s chief executive Leanne Down.
As a result, Mr Aggarwal decided to donate $1900 to the foundation, to be put towards purchasing a piece of equipment called an EZIO Intraosseous Drill for Werribee Mercy’s special care nursery.
The drill will be used for babies and newborns requiring cannulation insertion, and to establish vascular access in critically-ill patients.
Mr Aggarwal, who is the founder and director of Find My Real Estate, has made the donation through his business.
“With 2020 being an unprecedented year, if there is any opportunity to where you can help to save lives, why not?” he said.
Mr Aggarwal urged other Wyndham residents to support Werribee Mercy because it is the only local public hospital serving a fast-growing municipality.
“It’s about encouraging the community to come forward, step up and help the hospital,” he said.
Mr Aggarwal said he would be volunteering at an upcoming fundraising barbecue for the Werribee Hospital Foundation.
The foundation is also running a campaign to raise money to purchase of an AccuVein – a piece of medical imagining technology equipment – for Werribee Mercy’s paediatrics ward.
See drct-whf.prod.supporterhub.net/donations/accuvein to make a donation.
