So the trip to Braşov Children’s Hospital started with some adventure. Having got packed up, we left on the dot thanks to the super-efficiency of Tinca and Eti – much earlier than necessary but in order to get there in plenty of time. Not more than 20 minutes along the road, we hit a problem. We pulled into the petrol station where it was confirmed that the funny burning rubber smell was in fact us. There was a problem with one of the wheels. Nicu had done a full service on the minibus, it was just one of those things, but it set us back by about an hour as we had to go home and switch cars!
So off on the road again, we made good time but unfortunately were the last to arrive for the queue at the hospital. Still, we saw some faces we knew from our trip there last year and Vlad hugged and shook hands with pretty much everyone there. Then the team of British doctors arrived and Vlad ran up to them and hugged them too. It was like a group of celebrities had just arrived.
To cut a long story short, we had a big wait that evening – about 3.5 hours but Vlad was excellent and we managed to keep our spirits up until we got in to see the doctor team. They remembered Vlad well, had a chat to him and confirmed that he was in good health and ready for an op! So with a smile and a bigger hope, we said goodbye to Tinca and Nicu and went to get Eti and Vlad settled in their bed (singular) for the coming days.
Romanian hospitals have come a long way since my first visits to Romania but they still have a veritable marathon to go before they come anywhere near the quality we’re used to in the UK. We moan about NHS facilities but trust me, it is 5-star luxury compared to those over there – and they pay around £10 a night for the privilege of being there. Still, you get some clean sheets (albeit on top of pretty grotty mattresses) and some food for that price too – it doesn’t always guarantee the expected level of care by nurses though…
However, the ward that Vlad was in has had a new lick of paint and some new furniture since last year, so it was definitely a lot nicer – if still a bit cramped. It is expected that mums stay with their children in the same beds whilst at the hospital. They also have to change into their ‘hospital clothes’ i.e. pyjamas etc. and I got told off by a scary ward sister on a few occasions for not wearing mine!
The one thing the budget doesn’t appear to have stretched to yet though is curtains and with the sun beating in the very large window, with temperatures of 35C+ outside, the place turned into a greenhouse. So it wasn’t the most pleasant place to spend the whole of the next day but there was a real atmosphere of camaraderie in there and we made fun and helped each other out at all possible times.
I was the lucky one to go back to my B&B where the owners made a special effort to look after me knowing why I was there that week.
The next day was operation day. We were initially expecting to go in first thing but got informed that we would be later in the afternoon. Memories of being knocked down the waiting list last year came back to Eti and I, so as the day wore on, I was preparing myself for battle trying to remember how to say ‘let me see the team of doctors – now’ in Romanian. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary this time and I suspect my presence there may have helped this along a bit – after all, most people assumed I was there with the doctor’s team themselves!
So the time came. Vlad was hungry (due to nil by mouth) and thirsty but had a sense of excitement as we went into the theatre – until he realised what he was there for. With the aid of some headphones and an MP3 player, we managed to calm him down enough for the team to give him his anaesthetic. Then he was a limp little sleeping boy and Eti and I had to leave them to it.
We decided we needed to get out of there for a while and had been told the operation would be around an hour long. So we went to a little café up the road and got a lemonade each. We sat with our phones on the table, checking the time every few minutes. We were a nervous wreck! After 20 minutes we couldn’t stand it anymore so headed straight back to the hospital.
The procedure actually took about an hour and a half – those last 30 minutes were pretty long I can tell you but we were soon called in and went to see him coming round. His recovery was impressively speedy but he did need a little help with some oxygen. Now that the hole was repaired between his nose and mouth, he had to teach himself to breathe once again! He also had a drink and understood immediately that it wasn’t going up his nose any more. You could see the sense of excitement on his face already. He enjoyed the oxygen mask as we told him he was just like a pilot in a helicopter – this became his favourite part of the trip and he wanted everyone to see the photos we took for days afterwards!
I had an opportunity to talk to the team of nurses accompanying the doctors from the UK. I realised then what an amazing job these people do. They’ve been going to Romania to do this work for over 20 years now – since just after the revolution and they have seen it all. They worked tirelessly there all week to help so many children and every day was about 16 hours for them all. Great work indeed and I felt privileged that we’d benefitted from that.
There was one other girl in that recovery room, she was alone and had just had a huge operation on her nose. Her family couldn’t afford to accompany her this time so I went and sat with her for a while and just gave her some company. She grabbed my hand and hugged me so tightly, it truly moved me. I realise how scary it must have all been for her being there alone. I also realised how lucky Vlad was to have two of us there around the clock.
The next morning, by the time I arrived at the hospital, Eti had already been told that Vlad had been doing so well that he could go home that day. Naturally we were all relieved and looking forward to going home. So armed with a list of strict instructions for Vlad’s aftercare and some medication, Tinca and Nicu came to meet us and off home we went.
In the days afterwards, Vlad’s recovery was remarkable – in fact you wouldn’t have a clue he’d had anything done. All the ladies were superb in making sure that all the care instructions were followed to the letter and he was very well behaved in following this regime too. I think he may have enjoyed basking in the extra attention a little bit too of course…!
I left Vlad after a week and a half and was utterly satisfied that this operation will change his life. Not only can he eat, drink and even breathe more comfortably now but he is beginning to make some better sounds too and seems excited about that. Our next step is to work on that – maybe looking at some speech therapy for him and I believe he can make huge improvements with this now.
So it just remains for me to thank Doctor Oliver Fenton and his team, the ladies who do a fabulous job of caring for him, all the people who made it possible for this to happen and of course little Vlad for being such an amazingly brave little boy.
