Maya's Story
A routine pregnancy scan revealed that Maya’s spine was curved. By the time she turned one, doctors warned her family that without surgery, the growing curve would eventually crush her heart and other organs.
Mum Priya says, “Seeing your firstborn go into surgery is terrifying. Saying goodbye to her was really, really hard.
“We had mentally prepared ourselves for a 24-hour stay in intensive care, but she ended up needing to be kept sedated in the ICU for nine days. Those nine days felt so much longer than that. I kept asking myself, ‘Why? Why Maya?’
“When she was finally woken up, I thought she would want me straight away for comfort. Instead, she was suffering from drug withdrawal – lip-smacking, hallucinating, shaking. She seemed like a completely different child. It broke my heart. It was the first time in this whole hospital stay that I cried.
“Thankfully, she gradually recovered. We received the best level of care from every single member of hospital staff – Dr Thanos, the Spinal Surgeon, and everyone else who was involved in Maya’s surgery and treatment. It was just incredible.
She seemed like a completely different child. It broke my heart.
Priya, Sophie's mum
“Eventually, Maya was able to meet Hamish the Therapet at ECHC’s Hub, and she was delighted. He reminded her of our dog at home! We are so glad to have found the Hub as it’s a place that will help Maya feel less overwhelmed by all the appointments she will have to attend as she grows up.
“We also met Susie, ECHC’s complementary therapist. She was incredibly kind and managed to fit me in for a massage, despite being very booked up. As a parent, I hadn’t realised how much I needed to take a moment for myself. For half an hour, it didn’t feel like we were in a hospital at all.
