Donated artwork brightens up the RMH Emergency Department

Ambulance Victoria rushed him to our ED, he received four blood transfusions during the transportation, and his family were told to brace for the worst as he was placed in an induced coma.

He underwent 21 surgeries at the time, surviving the accident but not unscathed, suffering from permanent physical disabilities – which made it uncomfortable to walk and he had no feeling in his feet.

Even despite these setbacks he wanted to give back, Mauricio took on a 900km ride from Melbourne to Adelaide to raise road safety awareness through the Amy Gillett Foundation’s A Metre Matters project and donating funds for Royal Melbourne Hospital.

The donated funds were specifically used to assist trauma patients and to say thank you for the care he received from our staff.

Very sadly Mauricio was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and unfortunately he lost his battle with the disease in June last year, peacefully at home.

To forever remember Mauricio, and the charity work he did for the RMH, a painting was commissioned by his family in his memory.

The artwork will now stay in the ED for all staff, patients and visitors to enjoy, brightening up what is otherwise a very clinical space.

Director of RMH ED, Dr Mark Putland said he is incredibly grateful for the donation.

“It’s such a generous donation and really brightens up the space, we’re so thankful to the family for generously gifting us this painting, giving our staff a daily reminder of the work we are doing is so important,” Dr Putland said.

Nurse Unit Manager, Susan Harding also agrees.

“The artwork completely changes the space, giving our staff a moment to refresh during a busy shift, the painting will also serve as a reminder that the patients we see every day are generally not here because they want to be, they might be experiencing the worst day of their life, and every person we help makes our work so worthwhile,” Susan said.

Artist - Sarrita King, Gurindji ancestry from the Northern Territory

The Earth Cycles story is all about the connection of all things in life. The white section of the artwork is used to represent a lifeline and the circles represent the interactions and connections this life has with others and the world around them.

The radiating dots and circles show the ongoing effect these connections have. We feel this would be a great representation of Mauricio Munoz life and his experiences with the hospital, staff and other patients.

The painting would also serve as a representation of the ongoing connections occurring in the ward every day connecting the past and the future.