#MoveforLex made a $50,000 donation to our Neurosurgery Ward this month
Inspirational fundraising campaign #MoveForLex, launched by the family of former RBWH Neurosurgery patient Alexa ‘Lex’ Leary, has made its first major donation to the hospital.
20-year-old Lex is a junior national triathlete champion who suffered life-changing brain injuries in a cycling accident while training for the Noosa Triathlon in July this year.
“The strength and compassion of the Leary family, in the face of their daughter’s trauma, has been simply overwhelming,” said RBWH Foundation CEO Simone Garske.
“It is an honour for RBWH Foundation to partner with the Leary family and to help launch this national fundraising campaign to assist all RBWH Neurosurgery and ICU patients.”
Defying all expectations, Lex was discharged from hospital eight months ahead of predictions in early November and accompanied her parents Russell and Belinda to make the $50,000 cheque presentation to Director of Neurosurgery Dr Michael Redmond.
#MoveForLex has already raised more than $140,000 and this first distribution will help purchase equipment for neurosurgery patients.
The second phase of the campaign will focus on a new program, WeCU, which will provide practical and emotional support to families with loved ones in ICU.
Lex spent 75 days in RBWH, the first two weeks in an induced coma and the following two months in the Neurosurgery Ward.
“When you sit in a hospital for so long, 12 hours a day, you see what’s needed,” said Lex’s father, Russell Leary.
“It is equipment and it’s help for families who can’t afford to get there from other places, to visit.”
Lex is now in the rehabilitation phase of her recovery and continues to astound her medical team with persistence and determination.
“As Russ and I have been saying, Lex has been training her whole life for this moment – and unfortunately, it had to be this moment – but it’s helped her get to where she is now, definitely,” said Lex’s mother, Belinda.
#MoveForLex originally began as an Instagram page that quickly went viral with over 200,000 followers from around the country, including well-known musicians, Olympic and Paralympic athletes, sporting teams, and people from all walks of life.
To donate or leave a message for Lex, visit www.moveforlex.com.au. Donations of $2 or more are tax-deductible, and no administration fees are deducted.