Benjamin, 15, gave a speech at one of our Cambridge Children's Hospital campaign events. He spoke about breaking his arm at school and how this led to complications, which impacted his physical and mental health.
My name is Benjamin and I am a member of the Cambridge Children’s Hospital Youth Forum. Around a dozen of us, aged between 14 and 18, meet online each month and use our experiences of hospital to influence the design of the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital. I feel privileged to be a part of this team and have the opportunity to help steer the project from our own perspective. We are using young people, such as me, and our experience to feed into the development of the new hospital and its facilities.
My personal experience at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge began about four years ago. I was a happy, energetic, enthusiastic eleven-year-old and absolutely loved sport. I played cricket and football for my village clubs and I was enjoying learning to play rugby and hockey at school. Then, whilst running during a PE lesson, I fell and broke my arm badly, with an open fracture. An ambulance came to school and rushed me to A&E, and I had surgery straight away. I went home the next day, and gradually returned to a normal, but gentle, life at school, with regular check ups at the fracture clinic.
However, the real pain (metaphorically and literally) was when I was told a few weeks later that a small red lump on my arm was actually a sign of an infection. Suddenly a quick check up appointment turned into a week-long stay in hospital, with tests, scans and surgeries. I went home with a tube in my arm for antibiotic injections, and clear instructions not to carry anything - and definitely no running. My suggestion to stop piano lessons was finally taken seriously!
Unfortunately, this treatment did not work and a couple of months later I was back in hospital for another operation and another line in my arm for more injections, plus lots of tablets.
It turned out that every time the doctors thought the infection had gone, it came back again, and over the next two years I had quite a few surgeries and spent a lot of time in hospital. I couldn’t take part in any sport at all, I was exhausted all the time and I was usually going to school just for half days.
Benjamin
My mum stopped working so that she could give my injections and take care of me. In hospital, there was always a pull-down bed next to me where she could stay, keeping me company and entertained during the long days.
The outside area in one of the children’s wards, and the games and craft from the playroom, were great distractions, but I did miss seeing my family and friends. My dad took care of my younger sister whenever I was in hospital, and they had to celebrate his birthday without us. One of my operations was on my mum’s birthday!
Some of the antibiotics made me very sick and I lost a lot of weight and, at one point, the side effects made my feet too painful to walk. I found sleeping and eating difficult, and struggled to do anything except play on my computer at home. I was admitted to hospital for a few days, but it wasn’t until a few months later that I was eventually able to see a psychologist. That’s when things really started to turn around. Through weekly sessions, the psychologist helped to build up my resilience and gave me the tools and techniques to be able to gradually return to a normal life, and be able to cope much better with my next round of treatment.
Through my own experience of physical injury and treatment having a direct effect on my mental health, I can clearly see how important it is to treat the whole person. Having a hospital where this is considered for all children right from the start would make a huge difference.
Benjamin
I feel passionate about the 'whole person' approach that the new Cambridge Children’s Hospital will take, bringing physical and mental health together, having personally experienced the need for both.
I have been to see the site of the new hospital, where some early groundworks and archaeology have taken place. I am so excited to see all the planning and designs making progress!
My hope is that every child treated at Cambridge Children's Hospital can have both physical and mental health support to help them go on to to live as normal a life as possible. I also hope that more people support the Cambridge Children’s Hospital project and make it a reality.
That’s why I’m here to tell my story.