Magic wands

One of the first things you think about when you're little one is poorly is "I wish I could swap places with them."  Whether it be a snuffly cold, recovering from painful injections or about to embark on a 4 hour operation; all you want is to make it better, take it away with a magic wand.

I would have given anything to swap places with Amelia so that she didn't have to go through a major operation. But I couldn't. I had to place all my faith and trust in Great Ormond Street Hospital. They don't have actual magic wands but they do have a miraculous team of doctors and nurses.

A few weeks ago I read a live blog by The Guardian that followed a 2 week old baby girl's heart operation. It was fascinating reading, along with the pictures that accompanied the piece.  Whilst the baby was not having the same operation as Amelia, there were many parallels and it gave me an insight of what actually went on whilst Amelia was in theatre. The scale of people and machinery, on which I'm sure any operation relies upon, is huge. There were seven health professionals in theatre with this baby, along with the head surgeon, not to mention the machines that monitor and keep the baby alive.

So where am I going with this? Here's where. Victor Tsang, the senior surgeon at GOSH spoke about many things regarding the surgery but this stuck in my mind...

"I can't give you an exact figure on how much an operation like this would cost. As well as surgery it requires ward resources, intensive care and other scientists supporting what we are doing in other laboratories. But it is very expensive. I would estimate around £50,000."

£50,000!

I'd always wondered how much in monetary terms we 'owed' GOSH for fixing Amelia's heart but never thought that it could be calculated. Yet here it was. An estimate admittedly, and not for the same operation, but it gives some idea of the actual expense. I realise that GOSH isn't completely funded by public donations, but without them the quality of care just wouldn't be the same. Each donation is like that magic wand; helping children and their families.

I couldn't possibly raise that amount of money in my lifetime, even £5,000 would be a stretch but what about £500? My current target is set at £200 but somehow it just doesn't seem enough.

I've raised around £150 so far and I am so very grateful to all those who have put their hand in their pocket and donated. Family, close friends and people I've not seen for years; even people I have never met! I'm so touched that they care about Amelia's story and want to help towards others.

So go on, your turn. Click here. Just a few pounds, it doesn't have to be a lot. Then you can sit back and feel proud that you've helped make a difference to a child. You've waved your magic wand. x