Telethon raises $6.79m for Mater “Little Miracles”

Queensland’s sickest and tiniest babies will continue to have access to life-saving care and state-of-the-art equipment after the Nine Telethon raised a remarkable $6,791,588 for Mater Little Miracles this month.

Mater is Australia’s busiest maternity care provider, with one in five Queensland babies born at a Mater hospital.

In its tenth year, the Nine Telethon spotlighted the extraordinary work of Mater by sharing the real and resilient stories from its Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU) and celebrating the life-saving and life-changing care provided by Mater Little Miracles’ Mater’s devoted clinical teams.

In a heartwarming display of unity, people from all corners of the Sunshine State donated generously to aid their fellow Queenslanders and support Mater in being a leader in neonatal critical care and maternal foetal medicine.

The Brisbane Broncos added to the donation tally by auctioning off captain Adam Reynolds’ and club veteran Corey Oates’ football boots, which echo the size of the seriously ill and premature babies tended to by Mater – around 2,000 each year.

Managing Director of Nine Queensland and Nine Northern New South Wales Kylie Blucher said: “Once again the Nine Telethon has worked its magic, leaving an indelible mark and transforming the lives of countless Queensland families”.

“It’s truly heartwarming to witness our community uniting to support our own, and I am thrilled that Mater Little Miracles can continue to provide Queensland’s most vulnerable infants with the best possible start to life, thanks to these life-saving funds.

“My heartfelt gratitude extends to Nine Queensland’s dedicated production team and 9News Queensland and Nine talent, whose unwavering dedication has been instrumental in achieving this wonderful outcome for Mater Little Miracles.”

Mater Foundation Chief Executive Andrew Thomas said: “What an extraordinary evening! Thanks to the Nine Telethon, the incredible sum $6,791,588 ensures that more medical miracles are now within reach”.

“Thanks to the generosity of the community, we can continue our mission, allowing us to continue our mission of delivering compassionate critical care to at-risk newborns, pioneering maternal foetal medicine treatments, and advancing innovations through research and technology.

“Each dollar raised not only brings hope to countless Queensland families but also lays a solid foundation for a brighter, healthier future. On behalf of everyone at Mater Foundation, I express our sincere gratitude to the Nine Telethon for standing with us on this journey to support Queensland families for years to come.”

One in every five Queensland babies is born in a Mater hospital. While most babies go home in one to two days, around 2000 seriously ill and premature babies will spend time in the Neonatal Critical Care Unit at South Brisbane’s Mater Mothers’ Hospital.

Pictured above: The Nine Telethon, broadcast from Mater Mothers’ Hospital, raises millions for Queensland babies.

Source: Mater