AN ordinary stomach ache turned into a nightmare ordeal for this youngster when he had to undergo emergency surgery for a collapsed bowel.

One day Alex Palmer, 11, of Tollerton near Easingwold, was complaining of a stomach ache at school - the next, he was diagnosed with a rare medical condition that needed an urgent operation.

Now he is recovering in the high-dependency unit of York Hospital children's ward after undergoing surgery on Wednesday.

His mum, Sharon, is backing our Guardian Angels appeal which will transform the high-dependency unit where her son is staying, giving it new equipment.

Sharon, a teacher at Wigginton Primary School, said: "It's not very nice to see children suffering, but it's even worse when it's your own. To have the high-dependency facility here in York has helped us enormously. Alex has been very poorly and the last four or five days have been quite gruelling."

Alex's nightmare started out as a stomach ache at school.

When painkillers did not solve the problem, Sharon took her son to York Hospital, suspecting he might be suffering from appendicitis.

He was put under observation and surgeons realised his entire bowel had collapsed because of a rare condition.

The youngster was given emergency surgery to repair his damaged insides and he spent the following five days on a drip, being monitored hourly by nurses.

Maureen Augey, Guardian Angels project nurse on the children's ward, said Alex might have had to be transferred to Leeds had he been younger.

The new high dependency unit we are raising money for would mean far fewer children would have to be transferred out of York for their care.

It will also mean that the proper equipment to deal with high-dependency children will be on hand in a special new unit, rather than being taken from elsewhere to a small side room where this type of care is currently offered - and where Alex is being looked after this week.

Maureen said: "Because Alex did need emergency surgery he needed lots of close observation, monitoring and one-to-one nursing for the first couple of days.

"Although we were able to do that in our side room, new equipment would have made things smoother and more convenient for the patient - we had to move things in and out of the room."

Mrs Palmer has now decided to raise money for our appeal after seeing first-hand how it will improve the facilities on offer for children at York hospital.

  • Drinking coffee can work wonders - as enterprising fundraisers from Copmanthorpe found when they held a special event for our appeal back in December. The fundraising coffee morning held by Emily Steele in the village boosted our Guardian Angels coffers by an impressive £305.
  • If you would like to support our appeal, why not hold a charity event such as a coffee morning or sponsored walk?

If you want to make a donation, send cheques or postal orders made out to The Press Guardian Angels appeal, to Lucy Stephens, Newsroom, The Press, 76/86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN.

PLEASE do not send cash and PLEASE do not send donations to the hospital direct.