Giraffe toy gives comfort to young hospital patients

Giraffes became a symbol of hope for Elsie's family

Young hospital patients are to receive a giraffe soft toy to help comfort them during treatment, thanks to a charity.

They are being given to children in the paediatric high dependency unit (PHDU) at Southampton Children's Hospital in memory of a toddler who died in 2019.

Elsie Lark, from Winchester, suffered a rare condition affecting the development of her lungs and heart and died when she was a year old.

The toys have been funded by a charity set up in her memory.

The Elsie Lark Fund aims to support the work of the unit as well as the retrieval team who transferred Elsie from hospital in Winchester to Southampton.

Elsie Lark was given a giraffe toy while she was at Southampton Children's Hospital

Giraffes became a symbol of hope for Elsie's family after the toddler was given a soft toy and her mother, Helena Martin, was given a giraffe necklace.

Ms Martin said: "Without the retrieval team and the support of PHDU, Elsie was unlikely to have survived past her initial admission.

"The units are small and continuously run at full capacity while juggling the most seriously ill children from across Hampshire and managing the expectations of their families.

"The Elsie Lark Fund was set up in Elsie's name to help support the incredible work they do."

The fund has so far raised £14,000 in support of the PHDU, which has funded the giraffe initiative.

It has also funded a lifesaving piece of equipment for the retrieval team to use in the air ambulance and specialist children's ambulance.