A sports mad teen was placed into a coma after she suffered a stroke aged just 15. Lily suffered a brain aneurysm and was taken by helicopter to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
She was due to have an operation at 2am but her aneurysm ruptured. After two operations, Lily was sent an intensive care ward where and later underwent two weeks of physio to regain her mobility.
She was transferred to Cardiff to finish her recovery after the stroke in June 2022. One year on Lily is back doing what she loves playing sport and has returned to the hospital to thank staff who saved her life.
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Lily said: "I am 15 and last year I had a stroke. I will never forget the kindness of the staff at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children (BRHC).
'We arrived in a helicopter on 14th June last year and I went straight to Daisy Ward. We knew that I had an aneurysm, but I didn't know what that meant and I was scared.
"The only thing going through my head was ‘when can I get back to training?’ I was to have an operation the next morning - but my aneurysm had other ideas and it ruptured at about 2am.
"After many hours and two operations, I went to Seahorse PICU ward in an induced coma. My family sat and waited for me to wake up.
"They were told this may not happen and if it did happen, I would almost certainly be a very different child from the feisty, sports mad, girl I had been.
"I did wake up, I started communicating with my eyes, then slowly I progressed to moving my legs and arms.
"The lovely nurses and physios were so kind to me; they made me laugh and talked to me all the time. They also encouraged me through my love of sport, I was there for two weeks.
"I was then moved to Daisy Ward where I did physio every day and finally stood up, no one could believe it. I was determined I would get better.
"I was absolutely driven to be well again. With lots of love and support from family and nurses, all of my 19 tubes were finally removed including my tracheostomy tube, so I was able to talk and eat.
"I was on Daisy for another two weeks. When I was well enough, I was transferred to Cardiff.
"A year later I am so much better. Sport has played such a huge part in my recovery, especially my mental health.
"I am back powerlifting and running and any spare time I have I'm in the gym. I'm also back in fulltime school.
"I have become an ambassador for a hospital charity in Cardiff and that has really helped me. Over my journey I have met so many amazing people who I will never forget.
"Just before the first-year anniversary of my injury, my mother asked me what I would like to do to celebrate, she said I could do anything.I wanted to come back to BRHC and see Mr Fellows, the doctor who saved my life.
"I also wanted to go back on the wards and see the nurses who looked after me when I was so ill.
"So, that's what we did, and it was a lovely day. We saw Mr Fellows, went onto PICU Ward and Daisy Ward and saw some of the lovely nurses who all remembered me and we laughed and talked, and laughed some more.
"It really helped me with my recovery as I had very little memory of the wards, so I found it very therapeutic. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was kind to me, looked after me and kept me alive.”
Bristol Royal Hospital for Children said: ''We were thrilled to catch up with Lily and her family who came to visit the clinical teams who looked after them a year ago.
''Thank you, Lily, for coming to see us and for sharing your very brave story."
