How the Wiggles helped save a Melbourne COVID-19 patient

(Image: The Wiggles)

An intensive care nurse’s inventive idea, and a bit of help from The Wiggles, has helped saved a woman in intensive care recovering from COVID-19.

Workers at the Royal Melbourne Hospital couldn’t convince Sarah Kelly, a 22-year-old with Down syndrome, to wear nose prongs to deliver oxygen, so they were forced to intubate her.

Then one intensive care nurse had a stroke of genius.

Sarah was “mesmerised” by videos of The Wiggles, so nurse Steven Moylan tried to contact the entertainers.

“I thought maybe if I could get them to wear the nasal prongs that she was not wanting to wear, she would copy them,” he told Neil Mitchell.

“Once I got in contact with them they were all over it. They were so helpful and really keen to help out Sarah.”

And it worked! After watching the video, Sarah wore her nose prongs, and was transferred out of intensive care.

Press PLAY below to hear how a nurse managed to get the Wiggles to help 

Sarah’s father, Greg, said he was “really surprised” by Mr Moylan’s “great lateral thinking”, which convinced his daughter to wear her nasal prongs.

“In four other minor hospital visits she’s never done so,” he said.

Press PLAY below to hear from Sarah’s dad