One moment, Roza was dancing to The Wiggles and giggling over strawberries. The next, her frightened mums were racing to Sydney Children’s Hospital, Randwick (SCH) – gripped by fear as their baby girl endured an 18-minute febrile seizure. 

For any parent, helplessly watching your child in distress is terrifying. Every passing minute feels like an hour while you painfully hold onto your breath.  

The calm and coordinated response in the Emergency Department 

When the young family arrived at the Emergency Department (ED) at SCH, Clodagh and Hayley had no idea what to expect. Watching their child lose consciousness in their arms was nothing short of a nightmare.  

To their relief, a team was already there – calm, focused and ready to save Roza's life. Doctors, nurses, a social worker – 15 to 20 paediatric specialists all working in perfect sync. This wasn’t just care – it was a lifeline. 

Roza’s mum, Hayley says, “I’m a trained firefighter in Ireland, so I knew how well trained they were. There was a team of 15-20 people caring for Roza. They all had their roles and were so calm.” 

The fight to stabilise Roza 

For two hours, the team fought to stabilise Roza. Their focus was to maintain her airways and keep her mums updated. And when things took a turn for the worse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), they didn’t stop. At one stage Roza had to be manually ventilated five times. 

“I remember watching Roza in the ICU, unconscious and wired up to a machine. All I could think was, ‘She hasn’t felt a hug or cuddle in two days,” says Clodagh, Roza’s mum. 

Roza had been hit with a perfect storm of infections - COVID, parainfluenza, enterovirus and adenovirus – names her parents had never even heard before.  

But thanks to around-the-clock paediatric care and the expertise of a highly trained ED team, Roza turned a corner.  

‘’When Roza woke up, we just wanted to know she was okay. We asked her to say the 20 words she knew before her seizure. It was such a relief when she asked for a strawberry," recalls Hayley. 

Giving back to a cause that helped save their daughter 

In 2024, Clodagh and Hayley ran City2Surf to raise funds for Sydney Children’s Hospitals Foundation (SCHF). What they didn’t know then was that SCHF donors had already played a key role in saving their daughter’s life. 

Every year, over 40,000 critically ill or injured children, like Roza, attend the ED at SCH. And behind the scenes, SCHF donors are making a profound difference – funding life-saving technology, simulation training, and specialist support teams. 

Training for critical moments 

Since 2015, ED staff have practiced real-life procedures and emergency drills using manikins, actors and smart technology. Over these years, SCHF funding has helped to build the simulation program so that 2,600 hospital staff can continually improve their knowledge, teamwork, leadership and communication with families during high-pressure scenarios.  

Clodagh says, “It’s incredible to see philanthropy help people in the lowest and darkest hours of their lives. It does make a difference. No matter what you give, it helps provide the best possible care. 

"Our family is so lucky that Roza’s okay, but some families don’t have a happy ending. We saw a family leave without their wee girl, and it was heartbreaking.  

That’s why we’re sharing our story. For Roza and for her.'' 

Together, we can change the future for every sick kid who, one day, may need their own superhero team.