by Leon, 14

“I’m Leon and I’m 14 years of age. I’ve been at Great Ormond Street for about a week because I had to have an operation for my valve to repair it and get it fixed. It’s in my heart.

Found out I think it was about last year. I was getting out of breath unusually and I was coming home from football and was telling my mum I was a bit tired.

When I arrived at Great Ormond Street I felt alright.  I trusted the doctors to do a good job. I see the doctors every morning for a check ups and that. It’s been better than I thought it would be. I thought it was going to be like kinda rough and sick people everywhere. And just the nurses are always going to be busy and that. But when I came though they were really friendly.

Before my operation I had to have a sliding scale insulin during the night and when I got into the theatre I had two cannulas to make me fall asleep. And I just woke up the next day just wasn’t really aware of what was happening and the next day after that I was a bit better.  It took me four days to start walking again I feel like I can do things for myself again.

For other children that are coming in for an operation like I did they will be fine they will get over it. It’s a really good hospital. Yeah and you’ll get through it very well.”

This story may have been edited by Children First for Health for editorial and confidentiality reasons only.

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