A grateful patient and her mum have made a huge donation of toys and activities to the children’s ward at University Hospital of North Tees.

Ellie Pattison has been a regular patient in the children’s ward since she was just three-years-old, admitted to the ward frequently for treatment for Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes (EDS) which has affected her gastro-intestinal tract.

EDS are a group of rare inherited conditions that affect connective tissue, which provide support in skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. These are complex syndromes affecting many systems of the body at once, despite this EDS is often an invisible disability.

It can affect people in different ways. For some, the condition is relatively mild, while for others their symptoms can be disabling. Symptoms commonly include, but are not limited to, long-term pain, chronic fatigue, dizziness, palpitations and digestive disorders.

Ellie’s mum Caroline decided to contact local shops and businesses to ask for any donations and was blown away by the response. The majority of donations were from the local community, friends and family, with two donations from Sainsbury’s Sedgefield and Tesco Stockton.

She told us: “After Ellie spent a full eight weeks on the ward over summer this year we thought it would be nice to give something back. The staff who have cared for Ellie over the years have been fantastic, from her Consultant to the play specialists we can’t thank them all enough.”

You can read more about EDS and find support here https://www.ehlers-danlos.org/

 

Page added 25th September 2019