Your CT scanner, your ventilators, your MRI…
These are the big machines you picture when you think of the Mater.
But today, I’m writing to you about one of the hundreds of small, unglamorous, but vital machines that make the Mater what it is.
The ones that are beeping, humming, whirring away right now as you read this letter — quietly carrying out their careful work to protect people.
These little machines are the unsung heroes of any hospital.
And right now, one of these humble little machines is missing from Nurse Sean’s clinic here at the Mater.
Let me explain what this particular quiet little machine does.
And how your kindness today will spare hundreds of people each year from terrible, lingering stomach pain — and even prevent cancer!
Sean is an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in our Gastro Intestinal Unit.
He runs our ‘Urea Breath Testing’ service — mostly single-handedly — helping people find urgent answers to painful, persistent stomach problems.
He tests for a stubborn little bacteria living in many Irish stomachs.
It’s so common it could be lurking inside someone you love now.
It’s called ‘H-pylori’. And the World Health Organisation classes it a Group 1 carcinogen — the same category as tobacco.
Left untreated, it slowly wears down the lining of your stomach…
…causing ulcers, burning pain, gastritis, and can even lead to life-threatening perforated ulcers.
In the very worst cases, it can cause stomach cancer.
The good news is, it’s treatable… if we catch it early.
But here’s the problem…
Right now, the only way to test for this corrosive bacteria is via one of these
‘breath bags’ (pictured here).
And patients must travel to the Mater to return their bag in person.
With Sean’s new ‘Urea Breath Testing machine’, patients will be able to simply pop their test back to him in the post.
Your kindness could mean the difference between catching the infection early… or letting it spiral into stomach ulcers. Or even stomach cancer.
There’s another urgent reason Sean is desperate to bring this new machine to his clinic…
… 1 in 3 tests Sean sends out are never returned.
Hardly surprising when you think about it. Because right now, patients must return their breath test in person…
…the bags can’t be posted.
And for many patients, that means travelling hundreds of miles.
Sean treated a working mother who’d been struggling with awful stomach pain for a while.
She drove from Wexford to Dublin and back — a three hour round trip — after her night shift just to hand in her test.
Then there are the people who live far from Dublin, without a car — imagine what a nightmare you’d have trying to get your test back to Sean.
All this means that there are people out there now living with this dangerous bacteria inside them — all the while their pain getting worse.
And left untreated, this bacteria can wreak havoc on you — gastritis, perforated ulcers, and even stomach cancer can result!
Your kindness means that patients will be able to return their samples in test tubes by post — no long journey. No stress. No childcare issues. Just speedy diagnosis and treatment.
A Urea Breath Testing machine may seem small by comparison.
But so often, it’s these humble machines, tucked away in corners of the Mater that make a profound difference in people’s lives — detecting hidden infections, preventing ulcers, easing chronic pain, and even preventing cancers…
