Thank you! The good we can do, starts now.

Australian Paralympian and former RBWH patient Curtis McGrath left the Women in Insolvency and Restructuring Queensland (WIRQ) Lunch spellbound, as he recounted the horror landmine explosion in Afghanistan which almost killed him, and the precision teamwork at RBWH which helped rebuild his body and his life. 

The annual fundraising event raised a remarkable $42,000 to advance patient care innovation and life-saving research. WIRQ has a diverse membership base, which includes leading accountants, lawyers, barristers, valuers, bankers, academics and policy makers.  

Curtis McGrath, a former combat engineer with the Australian Defence Force (ADF), lost both legs at the knee in 2012 after stepping on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while clearing landmines in Afghanistan. 

Curtis’s emergency treatment in a NATO hospital and subsequent medivac to Brisbane was led by RBWH ADF Specialist medical reservists. Treatment at RBWH ensured he overcame a potentially deadly fungal infection and was well prepared for prosthetic legs. 

“It was not a given that I was going to become a Paralympian but, at the same time, it set me up to have that opportunity and I'm very grateful for that team.” 

Curtis has since competed at three Paralympic Games, bringing home four gold medals in singles 200m kayak events. 

For the fourth year running, the RBWH Foundation has been named co-beneficiary of the Best of Tourism Awards, proudly supported by hotelier software architect Resly. 

RBWH Foundation CEO Simone Garske spoke at the event, paying tribute to industry members who originally supported the development of RBWH intensive care family care program, WeCU, through their connection to RBWH patient Alexa Leary, and her parents Russell and Belinda. 

Each year, RBWH cares for more than 600,000 patients. One in five of those patients, like Lex, live outside metropolitan Brisbane. 

Thanks to their ongoing partnership with the Foundation, Resly now supports a diverse range of patient care initiatives and medical innovations across RBWH; the Surgical, Treatment and Rehabilitation Service (STARS) and partnering Herston Health Precinct institutes and centres.