Luca Miraglia has spent a lifetime in and out of The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH). Luca is an identical twin; both Luca and his brother Alessio experienced a traumatic birth. Tragically, Luca’s brother Alessio
passed away just hours before birth and Luca was left battling for his life.
For the following six weeks, the Miraglia’s kept a constant vigil at their newborn’s bedside in the RCH Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), as Luca battled through oxygen deprivation, seizures, brain damage, a life-threatening infection, and kidney failure.

Slowly, Luca started showing signs of improvement and the family was eventually able to take their little fighter home. However, the Miraglia’s knew that their journey with the RCH had just begun. With just over 20 percent kidney function, severe hearing loss, and a feeding tube inserted, Luca’s first years of life required frequent visits to the hospital.

“To meet Luca today you would never think he has faced so many challenges and obstacles in his life, nor perhaps would you realise the challenges he will face for years to come,’’ said mum Lisa.

In 2014, the Miraglia family established the Luca Miraglia Foundation to help Luca and children like him achieve their full potential. The Luca Miraglia Foundation became a part of the RCH Bed Sponsorship program, as a way of saying thank you to the hospital for all the great care. The RCH Bed Sponsorship Program is an opportunity for you, your family, or your organisation to enhance the care provided to sick children and support the hospital in advancing paediatric healthcare.

Every year, more than 45,000 sick children are admitted to the RCH. You can sponsor a bed at the RCH in a ward that you are passionate about or support a particular area of care at the hospital.

There are a variety of options available for sponsorship including the:

• ·Butterfly Ward or the NICU, cares for some of Australia’s sickest babies.


• Cockatoo Ward supports children requiring ongoing surgical or neurological care.


• Sugard Glider Ward provides medical care to children with range of conditions and illnesses.


• Platypus Ward supports children requiring ongoing surgical care.


• Koala Ward cares for children with serious cardiac conditions.


• Rosella Ward or our Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, provides care to critically ill children.


• Kookaburra Ward care for patients battling childhood cancer.


• Kelpie Ward cares for adolescent patients, oncology patients and those requiring rehabilitative care.


• Banksia Ward supports children and adolescents with mental health concerns.


• Dolphin Ward provides medical care for children requiring short hospital stays.


• Possum Ward cares for children immediately after surgery.


• Emergency Department cares for children needing urgent care and provides the only paediatric trauma service for Victoria.

You can a make a real difference to sick kids when you participate in the Bed Sponsorship program.