Alex Brooker

Alex Brooker

People always say to me, it must have been awful having all those operations as a kid. But to be honest, it wasn’t really, not at all.

And that’s because of the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital. For me and my family, Great Ormond Street became like a second home and like a second family. In a way, it’s like a hospital version of Disneyland.

I looked forward to going, if anything. All the bright decoration, the lights, the statue of Peter Pan outside, the Super Nintendos in the wards, the waiting rooms – and the staff, of course.

All I remember are smiling, reassuring faces, and whether you’re a kid about to have their umpteenth operation or their first they mean everything.

Of course, there were times I was sad and even scared but there was always someone on hand, whether that was a nurse, a play co-ordinator or another amazing member of staff to make me feel better.

I used to lie in bed and listen to all the noise and hustle and bustle of central London outside and would imagine myself out there living the exciting lives of those people. But Great Ormond Street and the NHS made that a possibility.

They amputated my foot to get me up on my feet (one now being metal); they gave me an opposable thumb on my left hand so I could write, drive a car and lead an independent life. They tried to make sure it didn’t leave a big scar, because a kid getting conscious about his hands asked them to.

People always say to me, it must have been awful going through all that pain. But twenty-five-odd years on, I’m not writing about pain. I’m writing about how wonderful the NHS and Great Ormond Street Hospital have been to me. Those are the memories I’m left with.

So I’d just like to say thank you for looking after me, and for helping me to lead a life even more exciting than the one I was imagining when I was lying in that bed on Clarence Ward.

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