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Meet Harrison: “receiving care from Sheffield Children’s inspired me to pursue a career in medicine”

Harrison smiles in front of a garden space at Sheffield Children's
29 August 2024

Staff members at Sheffield Children’s have inspired a former patient to pursue a career in medicine.

19-year-old Harrison first visited Sheffield Children’s to receive treatment for a brain tumour when he was just ten years old. Spurred on by the outstanding care delivered by the Oncology and Physiotherapy teams at Sheffield Children’s, Harrison now aspires to help others like him by becoming a medical professional.

On A-level results day, Harrison discovered that he had been successful in securing a place at the University of East Anglia to study medicine after completing his qualifications in maths, chemistry and biology at Wyke Sixth Form College in Kingston upon Hull. Harrison said: “It’s all because of the care I received during my time at Sheffield Children’s. From the moment I first came here, staff members spoke to my mum, my dad and I and assured us that they had seen children in their care go on to do exciting things that they always wanted to do. From that, I felt the motivation myself to pursue a career in medicine.”

Harrison first visited Sheffield Children’s aged ten believing that he had a concussion. After some tests, he was told that he had a medulloblastoma, a cancerous brain tumour that develops in the cerebellum, an area at the back of the brain. Harrison said: “The first time I felt something was off, I was at school. One day, one of my friends kicked a rugby ball high into the air. I jumped up to try and catch it and it hit my head. It was a bit confusing because I thought I was going to catch it, so I went to hospital thinking that I had a concussion. After a few visits, we found out it was a brain tumour.”

Whilst receiving care at Sheffield Children’s, Harrison was treated by Consultant Oncologist Vicki Lee, who works as part of our Haematology and Oncology Department. We are the Principal Treatment Centre for children with cancer within South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and North Derbyshire, and provide support for children and young people from all over the country. Vicki said: “Treatment for a medulloblastoma includes immediate major brain surgery followed by a course of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The treatment is really hard, but patients must go through it to reduce the risk of the tumour returning at a later date. As patients go through their treatment, and even afterwards, our service provides Neuropsychological assessments at key educational points. This gives us hard data that we can use to signpost patients and former patients to make sure that they receive the correct support as they go through their education.”

After an intense course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and the dedicated and compassionate care delivered by staff members like Vicki, Harrison was given the all-clear, returning to Sheffield Children’s for regular check-ups over the following eight years. Alongside visiting our Haematology and Oncology department, Harrison also received support from the Physiotherapy team based at the Ryegate Children’s Centre. Our physiotherapists use a range of techniques to support our patients in restoring movement and function after injury or illness.

Harrison said: “Vicki was amazing in supporting me the whole way through my treatment, and even pointed me in the right direction in preparing for a career in medicine, but she absolutely wasn’t the only one in the team that was really supportive of me. I also really created a strong relationship with the Physiotherapy team at Ryegate. To this day, they still help us and provide an absolutely amazing level of support. They just go the extra mile, and I can’t give them enough credit.”

In 2021, Harrison returned to Sheffield Children’s after a having a stroke, losing feeling across the right-hand side of his body. However, Harrison reflects positively on his return to Sheffield Children’s. He was especially pleased to reunite with the Physiotherapy team, who supported him through every stage of his cancer journey and taught him how to walk again after the stroke. Harrison said: “I knew the physiotherapy team well from my cancer treatment, so it was actually really nice to see them even though I’d just had a stroke. I get on really well with them and I’m so grateful that their care meant that I could walk again. I would just really like to say a massive thank you to all of the staff at Sheffield Children’s. Everybody has been very supportive and friendly. I can only sing the praises of the staff here.”

Harrison credits his spirit, perseverance, and can-do attitude to his love for sport, and regularly attended Sheffield Children’s Do it for You Day celebrations. This day, funded by The Children’s Hospital Charity, gives young people like Harrison who have received treatment for cancer, or a bone marrow transplant at Sheffield Children’s to try out lots of different sports and activities. Harrison said: “As someone who has always been very sporty, continuing to take part in sport was a real comfort during my treatment, especially taking part in events like Do it for You Day. I really appreciated that members of staff put on that day for us. I even continued playing football throughout my treatment with my dad and my brother, and I think that really helped me mentally to get through it.”

Consultant Oncologist Vicki added: “We do always encourage patients with a medulloblastoma to continue doing exercise throughout their treatment at whatever level they can manage at each point. It doesn’t just keep developing their physical strength, but that strength helps with coordination too, which this tumour impacts. It is common that patients who come to us with a medulloblastoma might have a slower processing speed and difficulty with short term memory because of the tumour. This means that sometimes it can take longer to interpret information and translate this into action. Playing sport means that patients continue to develop this skill in a fun way. There is increasing research to show physical activity can help in the long-term recovery in children who have had brain tumours both in mental recovery as well as physical recovery”

Not only has Harrison been supported by members of the Sheffield Children’s team, but he’s felt strong support from his family too. Harrison said: “My whole family has been amazing during the past eight years. When I first came out of my operation, my brother made me laugh straight away, and I just knew that everything was going to be OK. He made sure not to treat me differently just because of my condition, which I think really helped me. Mum has been here throughout the whole thing, always by my bedside and making sure that I’m keeping up with taking my medicine, and my dad being his usual self kept me going too.”

At Sheffield Children’s, supporting patients and families is more than delivering outstanding care. A key aim is to make sure that patients and families feel supported as they pass major developmental milestones and forge their own paths beyond their time receiving treatment. Vicki said: “The aim of the treatment is not just survival, but to make sure that we maximise the potential of our patients beyond their treatment. We want to give them all of the support necessary for them to succeed, and work hard to make sure that we provide holistic support when we are delivering care for patients and post-treatment patients. It is amazing to hear that Harrison is pursuing his dream of working in this field, I know how hard he has worked and wish him all the best as he heads on to university.”

Harrison said: “I think it’s really important that other children and parents know that there is something beyond finishing treatment. I’d just say to dream big, and don’t let this type of experience hold you back and use it as inspiration. I used my experience to give me inspiration and hopefully I’ll go on to do something amazing.”

We’d like to thank Harrison for sharing his story with us and wish him all the best in the next step of his educational journey!

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