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A dad from Crowborough has launched a fundraising drive and is setting up a charity for a new medical chair to be used for young children in intensive care.

Russ Banner came up with the idea for a new paediatric chair in 2020, after the loss of his 20-month old daughter - Connie.

Russ said: "I'm doing it as a father, as a legacy for my daughter and if I can help even a few people in a similar situation to the one we were in, then that's worthwhile."

Connie was born with a congenital heart defect and underwent elective surgery. Connie had many complications post-surgery and was constantly connected to tubes and a ventilator. Play time was limited to an external chair or pillows to support her posture.

From this experience, Russ came up with the idea for a chair, which could slide into the paediatric cot allowing children that valuable time for play and family interaction

Russ said: “What the Connie Medical Chair would do is remove the need of moving the child from their bed to an external chair”. Russ explains, “This will allow them to have that priceless engagement with their families and improve their recovery.”

The medical chair is intended to improve the psychological and physiological well-being of children in intensive care.

Russ wants to raise £100,000 to deliver chairs for every paediatric ward in the UK.

The design was developed in partnership with Bristol Children’s Hospital, and the finalised prototype will be trialled in the coming months.

If you would like to donate click here

All proceeds go directly to the making and distribution of the chair.

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