Nurse navigates course for family after horse riding fall

After falling from her horse last year, eight-year-old Belle was flown to Brisbane and admitted to Queensland Children’s Hospital (QCH) with a broken jaw, three breaks to her pelvis and internal bleeding.

The fall happened on Belle’s grandparents' property outside of Kingaroy and the severity of her injuries was likened by medical staff to a full-impact car crash.

Belle’s mother, Jess, told QSuper the first 24 hours after the accident were frightening for the family, with Belle rushed into several emergency surgeries. But ‘nurse navigator’, Kate Trenoweth, became a familiar face at QCH, guiding Belle’s family through their hospital journey.

The special bond between Kate and Belle (pictured above) has seen her recognised as the latest recipient of the Juiced TV Super Hero Award, supported by QSuper.

"We met Kate about three days into Belle’s hospitalisation. Kate quickly became the familiar face who could get us to a place of understanding," Jess said.

"Belle had a lot of wonderful nurses, but the bond she formed with Kate was so special."

Playing a crucial role for patients

As a nurse navigator, Kate often assumes the role as a conduit between the doctors and the families of paediatric patients. More often than not, she quickly becomes the crucial support for someone who has experienced trauma.

"Belle definitely had ups and downs dealing with her hospitalisation. But even on the trickier days she showed great resilience," Kate said.

Kate’s passion for treating critically injured children has been consistent throughout her career, having previously been a paediatric emergency nurse in the acute resuscitative phase.

"My career has been really rewarding, but also challenging at times. It was important for me to continue to follow the journey of these children, particularly with children like Belle, beyond the doors of the emergency department," Kate said.

Supporting our medical heroes

QSuper is proud of our longstanding partnership with Juiced TV, and the opportunities we present patients and their families to recognise their personal healthcare heroes.

The impact of those recognised in these awards on Queensland communities is substantial, with Kate being the 13th person to receive this accolade.

"Through these stories that QSuper shares, people who haven’t had to use the health system like we have still get to see the amazing work being done in our hospitals," Jess said.

One of the family

Belle had only been discharged four days before an infection required her immediate readmittance to QCH.

"The second stay was really where Kate became the person who would bring joy to her visits when Belle needed it most," Jess said.

"We know that she was just doing her job, but to us it felt like she went above and beyond.

"When we heard QSuper was giving us the opportunity to nominate a healthcare hero, Belle immediately said it had to be Kate.

"I want to thank QSuper for making these awards available and for giving families like ours a chance to acknowledge the people who have helped us through hard times."

Kate said that receiving this recognition from a patient like Belle made her feel blessed to have such a profound impact on her life.

"I honestly think the true heroes are children like Belle and their families who show such courage and resilience in the face of what can be a really challenging journey," Kate said.

Watch Kate and Belle here: