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A Physician Associate Student who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer as a teen ten years ago is abseiling down the same hospital she credits with saving her life to raise money for a new children’s hospital in Leicester.
Paris Tompkins, 24, a Physician Associate Student at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, is abseiling down the site’s Windsor Building to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal to help secure a new state-of-the-art dedicated children’s hospital for the East Midlands.
Paris, who received treatment as an outpatient at the LRI after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer at age 14, says it’s important for both her and her family to support the children’s hospital that she is proud to now be working in.
“This year marks ten years since I was first diagnosed,” says Paris. ”As a family, we all thought we should try and raise a bit of money to recognise that.”
Paris was diagnosed August 2010 after months of tests at the Leicester Royal Infirmary, before undergoing surgery followed by months of further treatment between hospitals in London and Leicester.
“This time ten years ago, I would’ve been going through all the tests and then coming back here to the LRI and at Children’s Outpatients every week,” Paris explains.
“At 15, you obviously have other priorities on your mind than cancer. But it obviously it had a major impact on my family. They understood what it meant for my future.”
Paris says her experience in hospital and her positive impression of the clinical staff had a profound impact on her choosing to pursue a medical career of her own.
“From every nurse to every doctor I met, they made sure that my family and I were always well informed about everything that was happening,” she says. “They made sure things were turned around quickly – it was just a week between my diagnosis and my surgery.
“I always wanted to be part of the NHS, but having been in hospital for so long and having gone through the system as a patient, it made me realise that I wanted to work here in the future. I’m working with consultants now who used to be my consultant. So it’s nice to evolve into that role. It’s also nice to know that if I go to talk to a parent of a patient on the children’s ward, I know what it’s like.”
With the appeal helping to create the first dedicated children’s hospital in the East Midlands, Paris is determined to help bring a state-of-the-art new facility to Leicester.
“I know what this hospital was like a decade ago. I’ve seen over ten years how it’s improved a lot, but having everything together under one roof would make it easier for families. It would take the pressure off from having to travel to different hospitals. I know how hard that was for me.
“You look at Birmingham Children’s Hospital – everyone knows it. It’s a flagship hospital. I think for us to have one here in Leicester would help so much. Everyone knows someone who is going through the hospital system, who’s had contact with the Children’s Hospital. If your child ever needed it, you’d want them to get the best possible care. For us all to be able to have that on our front door is a big motivator.”
Paris is among over 100 people who will be scaling 100ft down the side of the Windsor Building of the Leicester Royal Infirmary on the weekend of 28th-29th March to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.
