Bridge of Earn youngster Josh Boyd and mum Evonne Dawson are right behind the ARCHIE Tayside fundraising campaign. Evonne said: “The campaign sounds marvellous the Tayside Children’s Hospital is already a great place for kids but if there were any further enhancements to make it an even better experience that would be wonderful.
Evonne said: “The campaign sounds marvellous the Tayside Children’s Hospital is already a great place for kids but if there were any further enhancements to make it an even better experience that would be wonderful.
Josh, 6, was born with talipes or a club foot and has been in and out of hospital over the years.
“The staff are fantastic, so caring and cheerful, and make his visit to hospital really straightforward,” said Evonne.
“Josh has never been even slightly concerned about going in, even though he will soon be coming up for his 10th anaesthetic.
“They have little cars that the children can ride on to theatre, and iPads to take their mind off the anaesthetic. From the cleaners to the play assistants, the man who fixes Josh’s wheelchair, the nurses, doctors and the anaesthetists, they are all great and remember him from one visit to the next.”
Josh has been in casts from three months. Evonne used to take him to PRI for consultations, and physio sessions at the Sunflower Centre.
“Although Josh never had surgery at PRI, the team there are fantastic too,” she said.
“Josh was also born with a cleft lip and had to go into Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children at 16 weeks to have it repaired. It was quite a distance to travel, and traumatic to deal with when your child has just been born, so if it meant that operations like this could always be carried out locally, it would make a difficult time so much easier.”
Josh says: “I liked all the nurses and doctors and I liked the playroom. I enjoyed driving the car to theatre before I got my sleepy medicine. The best part about being in hospital is toast when you wake up.”