Improving the lives of parents of neonatal patients: 2023 Curtin Medalist Joanne Beedie

Joanne is the CEO and co-founder of Helping Little Hands, a charity that has supported thousands of Western Australian families with premature and sick babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at King Edward Memorial Hospital. A mother of five, Joanne has firsthand experience of the NICU rollercoaster when her twin son Lewis was born at 27 weeks’ gestation. Tragically, she lost his brother Logan at just 21 weeks.

Determined to use her own lived experience to help others, Joanne set up her charity to provide practical assistance, financial aid, peer support and advocacy to struggling families. Helping Little Hands focuses on stepping in when families fall between the gaps in government services; providing petrol vouchers, cots and car seats; funding accommodation for Aboriginal mothers; and raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund essential medical equipment.

Congratulations Joanne, on receiving the 2023 John Curtin Medal. The John Curtin Medal is awarded to those who have made a remarkable difference to the world we live in, and who have exhibited John Curtin’s qualities of vision, leadership and community service.