Bright Minds Save Lives

Bright Minds, a Vila-based private music school, has found a unique way or its students not just to improve their skills, but to improve the lives of sick children.

The school, which was founded by Barbara Idieder, offers music and classical dance lessons to nearly 80 children in the Port Vila area.

In an effort to encourage good discipline, three of the teachers organised a competition. Over the course of three weeks, students logged their hours spent practicing. Each of the 70 participating students gathered pledges from family, friends and supporters.

Prizes were donated to the students by a number of local businesses, including Sound Centre, Telsat, Hanky Store, Lam Store, Sharper Image, IPACC and Computer World.

The exercise succeeded beyond expectations, and raised 240,000 vatu for the children’s unit at Vila Central Hospital. The Hospital was able to purchase a CPAP machine with the funds.

CPAP stands for ‘continuous positive airway pressure’. The machine consists of a small air pump, a lightly pressurised water reservoir, and a tube and breathing unit designed to fit snugly and comfortably over a child’s nostrils.

A CPAP machine is a vital, often life-saving piece of medical equipment. It is used to assist the breathing of infants and small children who experience respiratory difficulties. Most commonly, it’s used to help premature babies whose lungs are not fully developed, and with small children with bronchiolitis, a common breathing ailment among infants.

Access to such treatment often saves lives, VCH staff said.

The machine was developed as a low-cost alternative to inserting a breathing tube and attaching the patient to a respirator. VCH currently lacks this capability. Hospital staff told the Daily Post that clinical trials in the USA have shown statistically better outcomes for children treated with CPAP compared to those who had a breathing tube inserted.

This is the unit’s second CPAP unit. Staff were grateful for the addition, and explained that because they had only one before, they regularly faced tough decisions when more than one child required treatment.

The CPAP arrived just last week, but staff said that it had already been used to treat one tiny patient.

Bright Minds founder Barbara Idieder was enthused by the unexpected success of this endeavour, and vowed to make it an annual event.