A University of Sunderland graduate’s caring cartoon strip is being used in hospitals across the world to help calm children down during the coronavirus pandemic.
Illustration and Design graduate Katie Chappell was asked by an NHS worker if she would consider creating a cartoon showing the personal protective equipment (PPE) that many hospital staff are now having to wear.
The request came from anaesthetic trainee Jayne Sutherland who is currently working in a Cardiff hospital and wanted to ease the concerns many children have when they see medics in full PPE.
Katie, 30, who graduated from the University in 2012 and now works as a live freelance illustrator, said: “Our NHS are really proving themselves superheroes right now, and I was really grateful to be able to help them in some way.
“I can only imagine how scary it must be for children being treated by staff in full face masks/PPE.”
After posting on her blog a link to the cartoon strip, Katie has now been inundated with requests from hospitals around the world to use them in their wards and operating theatres.
Katie, from Berwick, added: “I’m happy to email high-resolution PDFs of this to anybody working in a hospital who might find it helpful.
“I work as a live event illustrator, and with most live illustration events cancelled, being able to help the NHS in this way feels really good. I’m glad illustration skills can be useful in a pandemic.
“I’ve spent the weekend answering emails from as far afield as Boston and New Zealand, asking to use the cartoon, it’s amazing.”
Any hospital trusts who would like to access Katie’s work and use in their hospitals can visit here and download the pdf.