Our Impact Patient Stories “Santolo’s CT scan showed that he had a brain haemorrhage.” - Santolo's Story The air ambulance team travelled with 11-year-old Santolo by road to ensure he received the care he needed. His mum, Immacolata (Lata), kindly shares their story. A Sudden Medical Emergency On Sunday 15th May at approximately 8pm, our 11-year-old son, Santolo, got in the shower and developed excruciating pain to his head. He got himself out and managed to get down the stairs to tell his dad he had a headache, then he promptly collapsed. My husband Colin managed to get him upstairs and called me; I was on the M5 heading to work and had left home about six minutes previously. I spoke to Santolo and he couldn’t say the words ‘mum’, so I raced home, ran upstairs and found Colin holding Santolo up. He promptly vomited and as I work in the NHS, realised that his Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) had dropped to 8 (the sign of a traumatic brain injury). The Race Against Time to Save Santolo I called 999 immediately and told the call-handler that we required a trauma team. Fortunately, there was an ambulance car close by which arrived, followed by an ambulance and Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance (DSAA). The clinicians initially questioned whether Santolo might have taken something, but I was certain that he hadn’t. He was quickly transferred into the ambulance with the air ambulance team by his side. On route to Musgrove Park Hospital, he lost consciousness and the use of his right side, which made it clearer what might be happening. On arrival, the resus team were waiting for him. Critical Care and the Role of Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Santolo’s CT scan showed that he had a left-sided brain haemorrhage and needed specialist care at Bristol Children’s Hospital. The air ambulance team travelled with him by road, where he was met by a whole team of neurosurgeons. He was taken to have a scan and then to theatre; we didn’t see him again until 5am the next morning, when he was in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, fighting for his life. Recovery, and the Power of Support It was then that we met Kirsty, one of DSAA’s patient and family liaison nurses – what a wonderful human she is. Kirsty supported us from that day forward and walked with us through the most horrific journey of our lives. It was her support that had the most positive impact on us all as a family – the phone calls, the visits, the empathy, the kindness. Santolo eventually came home on 1st July to await brain surgery – a procedure that was cancelled three times before it eventually went ahead the following February. It lasted 23 hours. We didn’t know if we would get our son back at all, and if we did, whether he would be the same again. Working for the NHS made this journey incredibly difficult for me as a mum, because it was hard to stand back as a parent and not a clinician. Once again, Kirsty was there for us, staying in constant contact; it was so reassuring to have her by our side. She introduced us to another family who had been through a similar experience and cared for by the air ambulance team. This was such a massive comfort. It gave us hope and the belief that we too would get through this, and we did! Santolo’s surgery was a success and he now lives such a full and happy life. Kirsty, you had such an impact on our lives and I will forever be grateful for the support you gave to us all. In just moments, our world was ripped apart. During the most catastrophic time of our lives, we were carried by friends, family, colleagues and by you. In the darkest moments, you were there, unexpected, quiet and supporting. The DSAA team who attended Santolo’s incident was: Jeremy, Pete, Chris, Mario and Dan. View from the Crew: Kirsty, Patient and Family Liaison Nurse Our team went to Santolo initially at home, when he began to feel unwell with a headache and vomiting which got worse, so an ambulance was called. Because Santolo had some neurological symptoms on scene, the team asked for DSAA to attend. Our team arrived and agreed that he was looking unwell from a neurological point of view, so they conveyed him quite quickly to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, with a view of getting a CT scan done. When this was done, it was found that Santolo had a ruptured AVM. This is an unusual collection of blood vessels in the brain that shouldn’t essentially be there. When they rupture, there is a lot of bleeding within the brain, which causes a build-up of pressure and neurological symptoms; it can often be very serious and life-threatening. Santolo was deteriorating in hospital, so he was put to sleep and our team were then called upon to provide a time-critical transfer from Musgrove Park Hospital to the nearest neurosurgical centre at Bristol Children’s Hospital. It was 49 minutes from the time that he had his CT scan in Taunton, to being in neuro theatre; gold standard according to the Paediatric Major Trauma Lead in Bristol. In theatre, the surgical team were able to stop the bleeding to Santolo’s brain, but they couldn’t remove the AVM because it was so deep and required a very specialist team of neurosurgeons to do this. As a result, he was left with a small open area of his skull, which required a specialist titanium plate making for it. The AVM itself remained in place, meaning there was still a risk that it could bleed again, which caused a lot of stress for the family. During that time, I was in touch with Santolo’s mum, Lata, and we spoke frequently. I first visited her in intensive care; at that point she was incredibly distressed and had barely slept. She was understandably worried how Santolo was going to wake up. In these cases, it is really hard for the hospital team to give any predictions as every brain responds differently post-neurosurgery. So, it was all very uncertain and a very difficult time. Santolo did amazingly well. As he began to wake up, he started showing signs that he was recognising people around him and understanding what was being said. One of the first things he did was make a familiar football sign to one of his relatives. This caused lots of joy in the family, as it was the first time they saw a glimpse of ‘Santolo being Santolo’ and a moment of communication that felt truly like him. At that point he had not spoken, however, gradually his speech came back. He had some physical rehabilitation and remained in Bristol Children’s Hospital for several weeks. I stayed in close contact with the family during that time. Eventually, Santolo was given some home leave and then allowed to return home fully to continue his recovery. This wasn’t easy because he still couldn’t have his skull flap put back on and needed to wear a protective helmet, while being extremely careful with any physical activity; a real challenge for an active young boy heading into the summer months and being restricted in that way. I visited the family at home within a couple of weeks of Santolo coming out of hospital and we went outside for a walk together. I hope that it was reassuring for Lata to have me there and it was so lovely to see Santolo out and about. Further down the line I was able to introduce Lata to another family we had previously supported through AVM recovery, facilitating a meeting between them both. This peer support approach enabled a mum who had been through this journey with her young teenage daughter, to give hope, reassurance and inspiration to another. They continue to stay in touch and for that I am really grateful, as peer support can have a profound impact during someone’s rehabilitation and recovery. I have remained in touch throughout this lovely family’s journey, recently finding out that Santolo had taken part in the Great Bristol Junior Run, completing it in the city where he had his life-changing surgery and recovery. All credit to him for getting his fitness to the point to be able to do it! Next: James' Story Manage Cookie Preferences