Here at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children we treat lots of
children every year who are very poorly with hearts that don't work
as well as they should. Luckily we have some of the best doctors
and nurses who are experts at treating poorly children and helping
their hearts work better so they can live happier and healthier
lives.
There are lots of different types of problems children can have
with their hearts and sometimes children come here when they are
babies or toddlers, sometimes when they are school age and
sometimes as teenagers.
We know children sometimes feel a bit scared when they're coming
in for an operation but there is no need to be. Every day we help
lots of children feel much better and we help and support their
families throughout this time as well.
Please click here
and read page 20 of our Voices magazine to read about the
transportation of criticall ill children.
Here are some of the stories of children we have helped over the
last few years:
Quinton Barham's story
Football mad teenager Quinton Barham, from Wiltshire, only
discovered he had been born with a heart condition when he suffered
a heart attack during a football game - an under 14s cup
match with Bradford-Upon-Avon YFC, in 2013. After scoring a hat
trick Quinton felt dizzy and had severe
chest pains before
collapsing on the touchline. Quinton was rushed to Bristol
Children's Hospital and spent several weeks on the intensive care
ward, where heart specialists discovered Quinton had suffered a
heart attack because one of his coronary arteries was in the wrong
place and had been damaged. Once they discovered this surgeons
operated on Quinton's heart to fix it. Quinton spent another couple
of weeks in hospital recovering and had a second operation to
remove fluid from around his heart. However within weeks of going
home he had made a full recovery and was back on the football
within months!
Quinton, says:
"Obviously what happened to me was completely unexpected and
very traumatic. I feel lucky to have a second chance at life and
wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the doctors and nurses who helped
with my recovery. Amazingly, because of my operation I'm now
fitter than ever before and can run for longer. I don't get out of
breath as easily like I used to."
Olivia Fowler's story:
Olivia Fowler, from Cornwall, was born in 2009 with a very
complicated heart condition which meant she was very sick when she
was born, in fact she was born with some of her organs in the wrong
place. Olivia had to spend a lot of time in hospital during her
first few years, including weeks in intensive care and she
underwent three operations to help fix her heart and help her live
a more normal life, like her identical twin. The first operation
was at just a few weeks old and helped her blood to flow between
her lungs and her heart. Described as a 'cheeky character' by her
cardiologist Olivia has made a remarkable recovery and in 2014 was
able to start school for the first time with her twin. Whilst
Olivia has made great progress her condition means that she will
need specialist care from the expert doctors and nurses for many
years to come.
Olivia's mother Andrea says:"Looking back at Olivia's journey I
can't express how astonished I am to see her go from someone who
struggles to make it up the stairs or run around with her friends
without losing breath. Olivia was unable to get in and out of the
bath on her own, all she wanted to do for so long was star jumps,
just like her sister, and now she can. Having spent most of her
life under the dedicated care of specialist staff at Bristol
Children's Hospital who helped her go from strength to strength, I
cannot express how truly grateful we are to everyone."
Grace Haywood's story:
Grace, from Stroud, celebrated her first birthday on New Year's
Day 2015, after undergoing two heart surgery operations in 2014.
Grace was born with a type of heart condition called Hypoplastic
Left Heart Syndrome, which meant she was missing part of her heart
and underwent her first operation when she was very small - just
one week old. She was very poorly for the first few months and had
to spend quite a lot of time in hospital, however after the second
operation she made really good progress and is now doing really
well. Grace only has to visit Bristol for a check-up once every
three months.
Grace's mother Jo says:"Since Grace's birth, the specialist
staff in Bristol's children's cardiac team have gone above and
beyond to help her, and I am so grateful. We too, could not have
made it through the past year without their support. The Cardiac
Nurse Specialists put us in touch with parents and children who had
gone through the same experience, so we could see what we could
expect with Grace's condition. She is a fighter and is now doing
really well, and we're really looking forward to this year. Who
knows what the future will bring, in years to come she could even
be heading off to university!"
Harriet Simmonds' story:
Harriet, from Newport, was on her way to school, walking with
her father when she stopped at a set of lights and collapsed,
losing consciousness. It was just before her 11th
birthday. She had suffered a cardiac arrest (when your heart stops
beating blood around your body) but luckily was resuscitated by an
off duty midwife and paramedic who had been in a car nearby. She
was taken first to her local hospital in Newport, then to the
paediatric intensive care unit (the ward which treats really sick
children) at Cardiff, where doctors discovered Harriet had dilated
cardiomyopathy - a disease of the heart muscle causing it to
stretch and thin, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood
around the body. Harriet was then taken to Bristol where she could
be operated on by heart specialists and fitted with a small device
(an ICD) which monitors her heart rate and can 'shock' her heart if
it stops beating again, stopping her having another heart
attack.
There are several side effects of Harriet's condition and the
medicine she has to take for it, so Harriet and her father go to
regular check-ups so that doctors and nurses can make sure Harriet
continues to get the best care. However Harriet has still been able
to go back to school and return to normal life.
