Your stories

Sky's story

Drawing on her experience as an inpatient at a specialist eating disorders unit near Cambridge, 23-year-old Sky has become a passionate advocate for Cambridge Children’s vision of integrated care – where a child’s mental and physical health are treated together.

Anita's story

Anita Grant joined Cambridge Children's Network in memory of her daughter Jess, who died of a rare cancer when she was 15. Jess felt passionately that a dedicated children's hospital for the east of England was desperately needed. She even wanted to work there once it opened. Anita is making sure Jess's voice - her ideas - are heard.

Alex's story

We’ll treat the child and the adult they’ll become. Precise genomic research will help young adults like Alex stay healthy now — and make sure they’re healthier long into their future.

Phoebe's story

We’ll understand the person, not just the patient. When Phoebe got sick, it didn’t mean life as she knew it had to stop. It just meant we had to work harder to help her live it.

Liam and Jo

As a teenager, Liam struggled with complex mental health challenges, spending many months at The Darwin Centre. He believes a children's hospital dedicated to treating mental and physical health as one will help reduce stigma for young people like him. Thank you Liam and mum, Jo, for telling your stories.

Alex's story

When 9-year-old Alex bumped his head, his physical health declined rapidly. It took months for his condition to be linked to his mental health. Thank you Alex and family for sharing your stories.

Max's story

Every child recovers differently. By understanding their individual needs we can help young people like Max feel better quicker.

Mellie's story

We talked to Mellie, aged 19, about the time she spent at the Phoenix Centre. Thank you, Mellie, for sharing your experience.

Flynn's story

Adopting a holistic approach has transformed the care of a severely disabled seven-year-old Cambridge boy.

Charlee's story

Born with Moebius syndrome, three-year old Charlee Baldwin has facial paralysis and weak upper body muscles which limit her movement. Her parents were told she would never move and she needed to be fed through a tube in her tummy. Now, thanks to a real team effort, not only has she learnt how to roll, sit and hold her head up she is also learning to eat puréed food and has started school.

Max's story

Max was born with paralysed vocal cords which restricted his breathing and required a tracheostomy within his first few weeks of life. When it was time to remove the tracheostomy, a small part of 18-month old Max Lee’s rib cage was the key to reconstructive surgery which allowed him to breathe, swallow and communicate on his own.

Tessa's story

At 18 months old Tessa Brook was diagnosed with lingual sarcoma, a cancerous mass on her tongue.

Zofeya's story

The importance of treating children as individuals with unique and complex care needs has been highlighted by the mother of a girl recovering from an aggressive brain tumour.

Jasmine's story

Cambridge Children’s will combine mental and physical healthcare. Jasmine’s story clearly illustrates why combining this approach is so important for children and young people

Millie-Mae's story

Whole genome sequencing leads to better care for Millie-Mae

Zachary's story

Imagine a world where you are sick up to 50 times a day. For 14-year-old Zachery Sayers from Hertfordshire, this had become a daily reality. Zach had been vomiting on and off since he was very young. However, while he had a history of gut reflux, doctors could find no physical cause for the vomiting.

Holly's story

A ten-year-old girl who suffered a stroke is the youngest person to receive life-saving surgery using a newly installed state-of-the-art imaging system in the Interventional Radiology suite at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.