TUH doctor goes the extra mile for premmie babies

A Townsville University Hospital doctor has put in a marathon effort to raise money for premature babies.

Dr Rheannon Griffin ran the Melbourne Marathon and raised more than $3,000 for the Running for Premature Babies foundation, a national charity that supports neonatal units across Australia.

The cause was close to Dr Griffin’s heart, whose now 10-year-old daughter spent more than six weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at TUH after being born at two months prematurely.

She said watching the healthcare team care for her daughter inspired her to pursue a career in medicine.

"I wanted to become a doctor to help other people the way those doctors and nurses helped my daughter,” Dr Griffin said.

"It’s been very full circle coming back into this hospital as a doctor and working with families who are going through that same experience.

"As soon as I saw there was an opportunity to run and raise money for this foundation I knew I had to do it."

The road to Melbourne wasn’t easy, as Dr Griffin had to split her time between being a junior doctor, training for a marathon, and being a mum.

“There were days I was getting up really early in the morning to fit in a 20km run while everyone was asleep and before having to go do a 12-hour shift at the hospital,” she said. 

“Juggling full-time hospital work, my kids, and running up to 70km a week was probably the thing I’m most proud of.

“It sounds crazy but it was all for the cause and getting to that start line made it all worth it."

Dr Griffin said the race was harder than she could have imagined and had to dig deep at the 32km mark. 

“I thought about how hard those tiny babies fight every single day, and that’s what motivated me to keep putting one foot in front of the other when I really didn't want to,” she said. 

“The funds raised will go to buying equipment and resources for neonatal units across Australia, including humidity cribs, specialised recliners, breast pumps, and milk fridges.

"I spent hundreds of hours in those chairs beside my daughter’s humidity crib, relying on that technology to get her through those critical early weeks.

"It was a no-brainer that I wanted to give back to the families who are walking that journey now.”