From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Australian activist
Kaarene Fitzgerald
|
---|
Born
| 12 December 1944
|
---|
Died
| 24 May 2003
|
---|
Kaarene Noelle Fitzgerald
,
AC
(12 December 1944 ? 24 May 2003) was an Australian advocate for the study and treatment of
Sudden Infant Death
.
Fitzgerald founded the Sudden Infant Death Research Foundation (known as SIDS & Kids) on 11 July 1977.
[1]
The organization began the day after her son Glenn died from an unexplainable death, known as a
Sudden Infant Death
.
This was the first
NGO
of its kind in Australia. In 1999, she was appointed
Companion of the Order of Australia
for her services to the community and for "coordination of world-wide efforts to develop and research educational strategies to reduce sudden infant death in infancy".
[2]
She was responsible for the development of a direct referral system involving the Foundation, the Health Department, State Coroner's office, Ambulance Service and hospitals.
[1]
In 1988, Fitzgerald established
Red Nose Day
[3]
as a fundraising activity and convinced other state based SIDS bodies to join the fundraising activity. It became a signature national fundraising "day" in Australia.
[
citation needed
]
Internationally, Fitzgerald co-founded SIDS International and was the inaugural executive
[4]
and then chairman of the group from 1989 - 1992. She then developed a network of research coordination - the Global Strategy Task Force.
[5]
In 1991, Fitzgerald was approached to help establish the Monash Research Foundation for Reproduction and Development. This group became the Ritchie Centre.
[6]
Fitzgerald's commitment to research was honored with the Ritchie Centre's annual Kaarene Fitzgerald public forum.
[7]
Fitzgerald was born in
Te K?iti
, New Zealand and died in
Melbourne
, Australia on 24 May 2003, after a long battle with cancer. She was survived by her four children, Karl, Anita, Lacey & Michael.
[
citation needed
]
Awards
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]