Matthew's Coast to Coast Bike Ride in aid of The Great North Children’s Hospital & MediCinema

Over the past 18 months my son Henry has had many visits to The Great North Children’s Hospital at the RVI Newcastle which unfortunately led to multiple operations. As parents we could not be prouder of how well Henry has coped with all that he has been through. It has been such a tough time for the family, but Henry has taken it all in his stride showing immense courage and always keeping a smile on his face. Because of this I wanted to challenge myself by taking on the Coast to Coast bike ride starting at Whitehaven and finishing in Sunderland, all in aid of The Great North Children’s Hospital & MediCinema.

During the time we spent at the hospital it became apparent just how wonderful the staff at the RVI are. They provided amazing care and support for Henry and the family and we are so grateful for them and all that they have done. On the day Henry was admitted to the RVI, in August 2019, we had only gone for a routine X-ray, but Henry’s health was much worse than any of us had first thought. After multiple tests it became apparent that Henry would need numerous operations in the coming months.

We spent most of our time in Ward 9 and every single member of staff, from consultants and registrars to nurses and cleaners, could not do enough for us. All the nurses we saw, day or night, were always smiling and happy. We were made to feel welcome; Henry could turn his room into a home from home by bringing toys, blankets and teddies and nothing was ever too much trouble. Being in hospital with a poorly child is an extremely stressful and emotional time, so all these small things made the bigger things that little bit easier to deal with.

After each of Henry’s operations he was able to use the facilities provided for the children at the RVI. Henry loved the MediCinema, a state-of-the-art cinema in the hospital. It was an important part of Henry’s recovery process, even though he was so unwell it allowed us time together as a family and took Henry’s mind off being poorly. On his first visit to the MediCinema he watched Angry Birds from the comfort of his hospital bed, on the second visit he enjoyed Spies in Disguise with his brother Arlo and on his third visit he was specially chosen to watch his favourite film of all time, Trolls!

The MediCinema is funded entirely by donations and the movie screenings are run by volunteers. There are several rows of seats for patients and their families to sit but more importantly, there is space at the front for hospital beds. The first time Henry went to the MediCinema, he was too poorly to walk and was attached to different machines. The nurses on the ward secured all his lines and machines to his bed and the MediCinema staff wheeled him down to the cinema. A nurse was in the cinema for the whole movie so if Henry or anyone else needed any extra medication, they did not have to wait until they were back on their ward. The MediCinema really cheered him up and just getting off the ward and having a change of scenery made such a huge difference to his mood and ours.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving Page, wishing me good luck in my Coast to Coast challenge and for any donations to these two amazing causes.

I'd like to keep funds as equal as possible.

Thanks Matthew, Rebekah & Henry.