Lewis' Story

The Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales is lucky to have a team of highly skilled and specialist surgeons who can perform very specialist procedures to correct the curvatures of the spine caused by Scoliosis, which, untreated, can cause mobility issues and have a detrimental effect on a child’s heart and lungs.

As a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, the waiting list for scoliosis surgery increased significantly. But to increase the number of surgeries and speed up treatment, the surgical team needed more specialist scoliosis trays. This is where your support came in.

Thanks to people like you, the charity is able to run a grant programme which is open to all hospital staff. It means that clinical teams can apply directly for funding to support projects or equipment that they know first-hand, will make a real difference to the children they care for in their specific field. Recently we were able to award a grant for two new scoliosis trays, meaning that children like Lewis can get the treatment they need quicker.

Lewis was diagnosed with scoliosis at just nine-years-old. As his spine deteriorated, so did his quality of life. The two curvatures in his spine eventually became so painful that Lewis didn’t even want to leave the house.

David, Lewis’ dad, said: “Lewis’ surgery was due to take around six hours but because his curvature was so bad, it actually lasted over nine. It was a long recovery but, thanks to the children’s hospital, he’s now back at school and doing really well. He’s most pleased about the fact that he’s gained three inches in height from the operation!”

Scoliosis surgery has helped Lewis re-gain his life and as a thank you, David will soon be embarking on a series of cycling challenges, kicking off with a 186 mile bike ride from London to Paris in May. A week later he’ll be taking part in CARTEN100, the 107-mile cycle from Cardiff to Tenby, and two weeks after that he’ll cycle 100 miles around London. Good luck David!

It’s thanks to people like you that we can support the specialist work of our nation’s top paediatric surgeons and create better tomorrows for children like Lewis. 🌈