An Ayrshire family has thanked staff at a Glasgow children's hospital for giving their daughter a “priceless” moment – after allowing her beloved dog to visit her.
Brooke Gibson, eight, from Auchinleck, has been in the intensive care unit at the city's Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) since November last year.
Little Brooke was diagnosed with a very rare spinal condition called Acute Flaccid Myelitis, which impacts the body’s muscles and reflexes.
After seeing the youngster’s bedside cupboard was decorated with pictures of Jura, her beloved pooch, a staff member suggested that they surprise Brooke with a visit at the hospital grounds.
Getting to see Jura made a huge difference to Brooke’s morale, with mum Paula Murphy, dad Martin, 31, and younger brother Harris, five, also getting a boost from seeing her with her four-legged friend.
Paula said: “Seeing Brooke with Jura was priceless, she was absolutely ecstatic to see her. It’s been such a tough time for her but getting to see her so happy gave us all a boost.”
In line with Covid restrictions, staff were able to identify an area of the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus where Jura and Brooke could meet outside.
Paula, 30, added: “Brooke is almost nine now, so she understands what’s going on and that has impacted on her mental health. It was such a great thing for her to be able to see Jura, we can’t thank staff enough for arranging this.”
In November, Brooke woke up complaining of a sore neck and that one of her arms had gone limp.
Paula quickly contacted NHS24 and while she was waiting on a call back, Brooke lost control over her head which fell backwards.
An ambulance was called and Brooke was rushed to Crosshouse Hospital in Kilmarnock. With her condition deteriorating, the decision was taken to transfer Brooke to the RHC in Glasgow on November 28.
Brooke was sedated and ventilated during the journey with RHC staff discovering the rare condition which had caused Brooke to lose all mobility from below her chest.
She also experienced a lot of trouble with her breathing and eating and wasn’t able to speak to her family. With limited use of her left hand, Brooke, Paula and Martin devised a way to communicate, with a long blink for ‘no’ and a squeeze of the hand meaning ‘yes’.
As Christmas approached, the family took the difficult decision for Brooke to receive a tracheostomy, which would involve surgery but was a chance to improve the situation their daughter was facing.
Following a successful surgery on December 23, Brooke started to speak again which was an incredible moment for the family.
Paula said: “Christmas came early for us when Brooke started to speak again. It was such a tough decision to put her through the surgery but it was the right approach to help her.”
Brooke continues to undergo treatment and both her family and the RHC staff have been amazed by her progress. Her mobility is improving, especially in her left arm, and she is now able to walk with the help of a neck brace.
Paula said: “We still don’t know what will happen but Brooke has enough determination for all of us. Her determination has given us so much hope for the future, it’s amazing to see how far she has come.
“We cannot thank the staff at the RHC enough for everything they have done, the treatment has been fantastic from start to finish. They have looked after Brooke so well but also all of us as her family. Helping to arrange Jura’s visit also shows how much they care about Brooke and the impact this has been having on her.”
Liane McPherson, designated senior charge nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children, said: “All the staff were delighted to see how much it meant to Brooke and her family for her to be able to spend some time with Jura.
“Being in hospital can have such an impact on mental health, so we try to do anything we can to help make people feel as at home as possible. We know how important Jura is to Brooke so it was great that we could bring her to the campus to meet Brooke outside.
“We’re so pleased to see how well Brooke is doing. She is so focused and determined, we are looking forward to helping her reach new recovery milestones as her treatment continues.”
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