A Scots school boy who was left paralysed after tangled blood vessels exploded inside his brain managed to cheat death thanks to his mum’s quick thinking. Little Josh Pollard, from North Berwick, East Lothian, suffered four seizures in just 15 minutes after suddenly falling ill while out pumpkin picking in October 2021.
The nine-year-old’s mum Jayne called for an ambulance before being whisked to the R oyal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh. Medics discovered he had an arteriovenous malformation in his brain which had ruptured causing a blood clot to form.
Josh was rushed for emergency surgery as his parents mum and dad Ben anxiously waited for news on his condition. Dad Ben, a Sky engineer, explained: “Jayne’s son Jack, who’s 21 now, had been in hospital a lot as a child. I was nowhere near as prepared.
“It all started one afternoon, when Josh and his mum were out pumpkin picking. He’d complained of feeling sick, and Jayne rang me to tell me what was happening.
“Things escalated quickly and soon, he was completely unresponsive, so Jayne phoned an ambulance. In those 15 minutes, Josh had had four seizures – we later found out he may not have made it, had Jayne not acted so swiftly.”
The dad-of-three added: “The doctors later told us they’d likely been swelling for up to a year and had eventually exploded. This formed a clot on the left-hand side of his brain, which paralysed the entire right side of his body.
“He couldn’t walk or talk – he was essentially a new-born at nine years old. As we waited in the hospital, we were told he would have to be operated on immediately.”
Josh spent four days in intensive care and would need another operation three weeks later. After their second night, the family was offered a room at the Ronald McDonald House in Edinburgh.
Ben added: “We’d never heard of the charity before, but they were so welcoming. I remember a house assistant, Dominique, showing me around all the kitchen and play areas. I was absolutely taken aback by it all.
“The kitchen was amazing; we had our own fridge space and our own independence – but communal areas when we needed them.”
Josh got through his second surgery, but the operation left him unable to walk or talk for the first few weeks and there was a long road ahead involving daily occupational therapy and physiotherapy.
The youngster spent a total of four months in hospital and by Christmas time, he was well enough to get weekend passes for the house, so he could spend some quality family time with his parents and siblings in a ‘home away from home’ environment.
Ben said: “The house staff let our youngest daughter Astrid stay with us at the weekends. She’d be with family all week and go to nursery while we stayed with Josh.
“Astrid wasn’t allowed on the ward with the new Covid wave, but it was great for Josh to see her when he was finally allowed into the House.”
Josh was eventually discharged in February, making the Pollards the second longest staying residents at the House. Ben described how it was “incredibly difficult” to leave, having forged great relationships with the staff and other families going through similarly tough time.
He said: “We struck up amazing relationships with other families. It’s comforting to know you’re not alone going through this. Leaving was hard because we’d made such good friends, but we still see them to this day.
“We go back and visit and bring each other presents. It’s lovely to know we can still see them – they’re only a short distance drive away.”
Since leaving the House, Josh and his family have inspired friends and relatives to embark on fundraising activities, as a way of showing their gratitude to Ronald McDonald House Charities UK.
Jayne’s friend Gareth and her brother, Michael, ran a website offering competition prizes to raise funds, and Gareth did the Three Peaks Challenge. They raised £900 – enough to keep the house running for a day.
Helen Zollinger, Community Fundraiser for Scotland at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said: “We are so pleased to have been able to support Ben, Jayne and their children when Josh was having treatment in hospital and are delighted to hear that he is going from strength to strength on his long road to recovery.
“It’s great that the family has stayed in touch with us and other families they met in the house – it’s testament to how important the peer support we provide can be.
“As an independent charity, we receive no government funding and rely heavily on the generosity of our supporters to help us provide families with a ‘home away from home’ close to their sick child.
“We thank the Pollard family and their supporters sincerely for their fundraising efforts and for helping to raise awareness of the invaluable service we offer families during their time of need.”
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