A seven-year-boy only found out he had a potentially dangerous infection in his brain after he fell and hit his head while playing in a park. Elliott Evans, from Swansea, was playing in a park in the Afan Valley when he banged his head twice in five minutes.
Whilst he initially felt fine - and was checked over by his mum Sam Evans, a nurse - he later complained of feeling unwell, so his mum took him to Morriston Hospital A&E. In hospital, Sam noticed Elliott had slurred speech and couldn't walk properly, but his condition appeared to improve over time and after being checked-over by a doctor, the pair were set to leave the hospital.
As they were leaving, Elliott's condition deteriorated, Sam says, and the doctor, Dr Diepe, immediately ordered a CT scan and moved Elliott to the emergency department. He was later taken to Oakwood Ward and doctors found he had a brain infection.
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Elliott received medical care in Morriston Hospital for around two weeks and had his seventh birthday on the ward. His family have praised the hard work of medical staff and the kindness of nurses who gave him a card, bag of toys and allowed him to go home for a few hours to celebrate his special day with loved ones - though he did have to return to hospital later that day for medication.
Grateful for the medical support and kindness of hospital staff, Elliott and his family recently completed a sponsored bike ride from the Pump House in Swansea Marina to Verdi's in Mumbles - and raised more than £1,000 for the Oakwood Ward. All the family got involved, including Elliott's mum Sam, dad Andrew, nine-year-old sister Eilidh and Uncle Chris. Elliott cycled around 10 miles and donations have been flooding in from family and friends.
The idea came from about whilst Elliott was still in hospital, he and his mum wanted to give something back to staff and show their appreciation.
"He's back to himself now, completely back to normal. You would never realise he had been unwell!" Sam said. "[The sponsored bike ride] was something Elliott and I both discussed one night whilst we were up on the ward. I said 'I don't feel the NHS gets enough credit, and I wanted to do something to be able to help the CEU and Oakwood Ward,' Elliott was fully on-board when I suggested it."
"My stepdad John McCulloch put in £100 to begin with and then added another lot of money to it," Sam said. "Grove Medical Centre in Uplands also did a baked potato day and donated the proceeds to the fund as well."
Elliott and his family recently returned to Morriston Hospital to pass on the funds they'd raised. Matron of the paediatric ward, Sarah James said: "We appreciate the time and effort Elliot and his family have taken to support Oakwood Ward and the children who are admitted. "With the fantastic amount raised, we will be purchasing games for children to play at their bedside and in the playroom."
Dr Dieppe added: “The Children’s Emergency Team are thrilled that Elliott raised money for us and the ward that looked after him. We hope to put the money towards some sensory equipment for the children and young people we see with special needs so that they are able to manage their time in the Emergency Department more easily. Thank you so much, Elliott."
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