A special first school day for George six months after life-saving lung surgery

The first day of school is a huge moment for any child, but it was extra special for George Westbrook and his family, coming just months after George underwent life-saving lung surgery.

Mum, Steph Westbrook, from Telford, noticed her son wasn’t well in April and after suspecting pneumonia, she took him to the Princess Royal Hospital.

Doctors informed her he had empyema, a condition where pneumonia is complicated by pus collecting between the lungs and the chest wall, which only affects around two per cent of children.

Four-year-old George was transferred immediately to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where he was given emergency surgery to drain the pus from his chest and start antibiotic treatment.

Steph explained: “We assumed he had a cold when he went, but after the moment of diagnosis the team were phenomenal, and everyone involved in the care was amazing. He wouldn’t be here without them. They didn’t just help him, they helped me too.

“I remember signing the paperwork before which said about the risk, but the surgeon and anaesthetist were amazing. George has autism, so this was hard for him to go through. He found it overwhelming and unsettling.

“The anaesthetist spent time with George before he went into surgery, making him laugh. I was blown away. I’ve never seen anyone engage with him like that. Everyone was really supportive, he made friends with all the nurses.

“I said to the surgeon that she needed to be at the top of her game, but as soon as he went down, I was really confident.”

George’s care was joint between the surgical teams who performed the procedure, Dr. Isobel Brookes and the hospital's respiratory team, who monitored him through his recovery until he was discharged over the summer. He has recently been seen in the follow-up clinic and is doing well.

Dr Brookes said: “Every year we look after lots of children with empyema along with our surgical colleagues. It's always a worrying time for patients and their families, as it was for George – but seeing them recovering back to full health is wonderful.

"The whole team wish George well as he starts school.”

Steph said: “The surgery is unbelievable. His lungs are tiny but the whole process was seamless. George is very lucky to have had it when he did, and the skill to insert a tube into his lungs where they were millimetres from collapsing his lung. There were no complications after his surgery.

“I’m grateful for the facilities and life-changing surgery. The day George was discharged, I was literally in tears, and I thought if I wanted him to be treated anywhere it would be at Birmingham Children’s.”

Fast forward six months and George is doing well and got to have his special moment at the school gates on his first day at reception last month.