When 24-year-old Sarah Cooper was dying her family were forced to choose between leaving her bedside, sleeping on the floor or sitting upright in Launceston’s intensive care unit.
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The added discomfort in a time of tragedy spurred the family into action and since Sarah’s death in April, 2016 the Coopers have raised funds to buy the ICU comfortable seating which converts into beds.
Their efforts to supply the chairs is set to be boosted with half of the funds raised from the Rotaract Club of Tamar Valley’s annual bingo night to go towards the cause.
“We’ve already bought one chair and a second was donated by the Saints Supporter Group and we are well on our way to buying the waiting room chairs,” Sarah’s sister Emily Russell said.
“We’re really hopeful that this bingo night will help out with that.”
The family have raised $5000 for the next group of ‘Sarah’s Chairs’ and need another $2000 to buy the waiting room’s supply.
“It’s such a great cause in regard to what it is doing and helping other people and for us as a family we feel really good about the fact that in some ways Sarah is helping people,” her father Paul Cooper said.
“Our aim is that if this goes really well then we can look at other places like Hobart, Latrobe and other hospitals and we can set up chairs there.”
Mr Cooper said it was hard to put into words how important being able to give something in Sarah’s name was for the family.
“We’ve already had people contact us that have used the chairs, one that comes to mind is someone who had lost their husband,” he said,
“Even though it was a really grief-filled process for her, she felt that the chairs had given her some comfort and that made us smile and feel that it was a worthy cause.”
“People don’t really think about the fact that one day they may be in there.”
The Rotaract Club’s bingo night will be held on Friday, August 18 at the Grand Chancellor Hotel from 6:30pm for a 7pm start.
Entrance is $20 for finger food and a bingo dabber, while bingo books are $10 each for 20 games.
Prizes, a raffle and a silent auction will also feature on the night.
Ticket information can be found at launcestontickets.com.au or call 0407 785 373.
Holly Monery
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
Holly Monery is a journalist for The Examiner newspaper, based in Launceston, Tasmania. Her main area of focus is local government.
