Space to be Yourself: Andrew's Journey
As we continue to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re sharing stories from patients down the years who have benefited from the support of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
One of those is Andrew, now 20, whose mum Claire describes as “larger than life”.
A lover of the outdoors, Andrew had barely suffered anything more than a cold until he was 15, when an abscess on the brain and eye and bone infections shocked his family.
Andrew’s sensory issues meant he could struggle with something as innocuous as a plaster. Weeks in the unfamiliar surroundings of a hospital presented an intimidating prospect.
The incredible staff at the Royal Hospital for Children, backed by funding and projects from Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, meant he could feel at home and be himself.
His story has numerous examples of the projects we fund and support that help teens and adolescents through their hospital journey.
Larger than life – Andrew’s story in Claire’s words
Andrew has severe autism and he’s non-verbal. He’s as healthy as a horse, as happy as the day is long and absolutely loves life.
Life is sometimes challenging for him as he has learning disabilities.
Andrew loves Toy Story, Shrek, and his iPad – but he’s active too. He likes to be out and about and is always happy when he’s on his bike. He turned 21 in October.
When he was 15, his face suddenly swelled up one day. My husband and I thought it was initially an allergic reaction.
It seemed to calm down – then came back through the night.
Andrew was initially sent to Wishaw General by his GP, and we told them: ‘you’ll need to knock him out.’ That’s how bad his sensory issues can get. He struggles with things like stethoscopes and even plasters.
Claire, Andrew's Mum
Andrew received a CT scan and we discovered he had an abscess on the surface of his brain. He also had an eye infection, Periorbital Cellulitis, and a bone infection known as Osteomyelitis.
One of the things we still giggle about is when we saw a kids’ size trolley being wheeled in to transfer Andrew to the Royal Hospital for Children. They hadn’t quite realised how big he was – even at 15 he was giant. Soon an adult trolley appeared!
Andrew was taken to the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). He was on antibiotics the full time and had three different infusions.
It was scary for all of us. He’d only really had colds before. They then performed surgery on Andrew, draining as much pus and removing as much infected bone as they could. He was then taken to ward 3A for seven weeks in total.
The extra mile
Andrew’s bed was initially very close to the nurses because they needed to keep a close eye on him. When it was safe, they moved him to the end of the corridor, away from heavier footfall and noise.
It allowed for Dad to stay by his side throughout and the staff were brilliant. They always took their time and never rushed Andrew.
Often people with Autism like things to remain as they are. When Andrew required repeat scans after his discharge, they rearranged his room exactly as it was before.
Some of the nurses asked, ‘is Andrew back?’ - I was amazed.
The nurses and other staff were always there to listen when we needed a shoulder to cry on.
Our impact
He enjoyed watching movies at the MediCinema, which is funded by Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity. The volunteers there adjusted the space for his sensory issues by leaving the lights on and turning the sound down.
The state-of-the-art sensory room at the Royal Hospital for Children, fully funded by the Charity, was excellent.
The sensory room gave him a space where he could calm down when he was getting agitated. He loved playing with the light and sound box.
We actually wrote a note to tell the staff: “During our stay with you, Andrew has changed - he is verbalising more, has learned to wait to be more patient, and has started tolerating people in his space and accepting strangers.”
Andrew's Mum, Claire
We even got him fully toilet trained; he was on incontinence pads before. The difference was remarkable.
Dad Paul’s drum lesson
Andrew also got a lot of use out of Zone 12, the space for teens and adolescents which Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity funded.
It has games consoles - which Andrew loved – along with table football and loads of games.
I'd just sit at the door with a book and Andrew could play to his heart’s content.
The best part about that space was the sense of community and the opportunity to make friends. They had an electric drum kit and when I had a shot another boy came in. He told me I was doing it wrong and gave me a lesson!
Dad Paul on Zone 12
Andrew likes to be outdoors, so the playpark outside, which also received Charity funding, was fantastic. The fact there was that space to let kids be kids and go on swings promoted his recovery so much. If he were to be in a bed for all the time, that would have been asking for trouble!
Andrew is doing great now and we can’t thank the staff at the Royal Hospital for Children and Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity enough – we got our son back.