Giving sick newborns a chance

Newborn Intensive Care Foundation
Passionate. Resilient. Life-Saver

Peter Cursley has worked for more than 20 years to raise millions of dollars for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Special Care Nurseries at Canberra Hospital and help them give hundreds of newborns a year the best chance of a healthy life.

Peter founded the Newborn Intensive Care Foundation in memory of his second daughter, Hanna, who passed away in 1993.

The foundation raises funds for medical equipment, clinician education and research so that sick and premature newborn babies go home sooner and healthier than would otherwise be the case.

One example of the impact of Peter’s work is that doctors have used an eye laser the foundation donated to save the sight of 22 babies.

“I’m motivated when a mum writes to thank me for the equipment that saved her premature baby, who has since grown up to be an amazing gymnast,” Peter says.

Most recently, Peter funded an education program to help nurses and doctors support families whose baby passes away in the neonatal unit.

Peter is proud to be nominated as a Westfield Local Hero. “I am humbled by the recognition but, as a one-man band, such recognition leads to more awareness of the foundation and that leads to more financial support.”

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation. The Newborn Intensive Care Foundation will buy a cooling blanket for the Canberra NICU to decreases the chance of brain injury in newborns.

For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here