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"John has been in the ICU for over 200 days, and sadly he won`t be home for Christmas this year. We are lucky enough to have a rotation of family who visit him twice daily including his four sisters, of which I am one. We see a number of clinicians and allied health staff who have helped John with speech exercises, chest physio, OT and lip-reading sessions and have seen a remarkable change over the past six months. Christmas will look a little different this year, all four sisters will be here with him. We`ve seen some great improvements with the amazing ICU team who have been able to accommodate weekly visits from his dogs, Mac and Bruce. We’d like to give a very special thank you to the ICU staff and Dr Marianne who instigated these weekly pet program visits for John, which has been an outstanding success.”

John says, "Christmas is all about family, no matter where you are."

RBWH ICU patient John here with some of the RBWH ICU team, as told to us on his behalf by his sister Teresa (pictured in the photo in the comments!) ...

If you’re looking for a great gravy recipe, you can be inspired by Paul Kelly on Gravy Day, or take a leaf from culinary cooking champions from STARS Food Services 🍽️🏆

Rajesh and Stephanie are adding a festive feeling to their gravy this year, having been declared the 2025 Winners of the Hospitality in Healthcare Culinary Competition held in Melbourne.

Their standout dish of crispy duck breast with a very special gastrique (a type of French pouring sauce), makes them champions both in competition and for the patients enjoying meals from them and their Food Services teammates.

Both Rajesh and Steph agreed with Paul Kelly when he said that a good gravy should include a dollop of tomato sauce for sweetness and that extra tang.

👏 Congratulations to Rajesh and Stephanie, and thanks for the gravy. ...