©Lifebox Foundation
In September 2014, the Association of Anaesthetists of Great
Britain & Ireland (AAGBI) launched Lifeboxes for Rio, a two year
fundraising campaign. The aim is to raise the funding for 600
Lifebox pulse oximeters, the same number as Team GB athletes
attending the next Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de
Janeiro (5 - 21 August 2016). That’s £96,000 to save thousands of
lives around the world in countries where patients are at risk of
death from oxygen starvation during surgery.
Under the leadership of the new President of the AAGBI, Dr Andrew Hartle,
a senior consultant anaesthetist who was a Gamesmaker at London 2012,
Lifeboxes for Rio will encourage AAGBI members, friends, colleagues and
families to raise funds through community events in and around the UK’s
350 hospitals. The campaign builds on the fundraising success of the
Great Anaesthesia Bake and cycle ride challenges involving AAGBI members and supporters.
“Lifeboxes for Rio is a great scheme which can help save lives across
the world. Dr Andrew Hartle played his part in delivering a successful
Olympic and Paralympic Games in London and I am delighted that he
is now leading this initiative, just another example of the legacy from
the 2012 Games manifesting itself in unexpected ways. I am sure that
athletes and sports leaders will want to lend their support.”
Lord Sebastian Coe CH KBE, the UK Prime Minister’s Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Ambassador
and Chairman of the British Olympic Association.
The campaign will benefit from the involvement of the AAGBI’s 11,000 members who will
spearhead fundraising efforts in their local areas, helping grow community spirit and foster
healthy living. In this way the campaign will be an ideal companion to the British Olympic
Association’s Get Set campaign which helps young people create a positive change in
their communities.
The risks of oxygen
starvation during surgery
Every year, 31 million patients face the risk of death due to oxygen starvation during
surgery. This is because they are having an operation in one of the 70,000 operating
theatres worldwide where there is no anaesthesia monitoring available. This means
that routine operations become fatal and what should be a life-saving surgery
instead takes the lives of a mother or father, breadwinner or child.
AAGBI is co-founder of UK charity, Lifebox Foundation www.lifebox.org. Lifebox
works to provide anaesthesia monitors – called pulse oximeters – to all operating
theatres currently working without this essential piece of kit. Each pulse oximeter
being distributed by Lifebox costs just $250/£160/€192.
Join the campaign and become a
Lifeboxes for Rio fundraiser
The AAGBI wants to involve its members all over the UK and Ireland in the Lifeboxes
for Rio fundraising campaign. There are lots of ways to take part: you’ll find
fundraising ideas on our website or you can come up with your own.
Bake, bike ride, run or walk – or
devise your own fundraising concept.
www.aagbi.org/lifeboxesforrio
Donate to
Lifeboxes for Rio
£160 will fund one Lifebox oximeter and training package.
You can make a Lifebox donation online at
Lifeboxes for Rio/My Donate:
https://mydonate.bt.com/events/lifeboxes4rio/182427
Contact: [email protected]
www.aagbi.org
AAGBI Foundation: Registered as a charity in England & Wales
no. 293575 and in Scotland no. SC040697
www.lifebox.org
Lifebox: Registered as a charity
in England & Wales (1143018)
Contact
Karin Pappenheim
Executive Director
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7631 8802
Email: [email protected]
Nicole Bates
Marketing & Communications Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7631 8854
Email: [email protected]