Orla's Story
“If I’d just got there two minutes sooner...”
Orla (5) was at her after school club, playing on the monkey bars when she slipped and crashed down on her left arm. Her elbow was both broken and dislocated, and she snapped the bone right down to her wrist.
Dad Paul says, “I got there just two minutes after it happened. The bone hadn’t pierced the skin, but it was poking right up. I’d never seen anything like it. I knew it was serious. I kept thinking, ‘If I’d just got here two minutes sooner.’
“The drive to the hospital was the worst of my life. Every bump in the road caused her agonising pain. It’s horrible feeling so helpless when your child is suffering.
“The hospital took Orla straight in and she was operated on the next day. We thought we were in the clear. But, on the day she was due to leave, a nurse noticed she was showing signs of ‘compartment syndrome’ – a rare but serious condition where swelling cuts off blood supply to the muscles.
“We were told she could lose the mobility in her arm, or worse – lose the arm altogether. She was rushed for emergency surgery. Those four hours were the longest of our lives.
“In the three weeks that she was in hospital, Orla had four separate surgeries on her arm. It had to be cut open from wrist to her elbow to relax the muscles, and she needed a skin graft to help it heal. She still faces further plastic surgery in the future.
“Through it all, the staff at the hospital and the incredible ECHC team were a constant source of support. Orla couldn’t leave the ward for the first week, so someone from ECHC would come to her bedside. They made the unbearable bearable, and we could see she was in safe hands.
“When she could leave her bed, she was in the charity’s Hub at least twice a day! They’ve got lots of things for the kids to do there – so many toys, board games, arts and crafts, VR and sensory play to name a few.
We were told she could lose the mobility in her arm, or worse – lose the arm altogether.
Paul, Orla's dad
“It was the one thing that brought a smile to her face. For a while, she could forget where she was and just be a child again.
“When she comes in for checkups now, knowing she can visit the Hub and get an ice cream from the ECHC shop gives her something to look forward to. It’s a comfort for her as hospital can bring back bad memories.
“ECHC has done so much for Orla and now I want to give something back, so I’ve arranged a charity football match. It would be amazing to raise as much money as possible for such a worthwhile charity who do so much to make a scary time for youngsters easier.”
Paul and The Samba Foundation will go head to head with the Hanlon Stevenson Foundation on Tuesday 20 May at Easter Road Stadium. You can donate to support them here.
