Miracle boy Jamie thanks his NHS hero
ANDREA LAMBROU
A miracle baby born with a deadly tumour the size of a rugby ball has paid an adorable tribute to his NHS hero 10 years on.
Jamie Haazen was born nine weeks premature in January 2010 with a 2lb cancerous tumour attached to his spine, bowel and bladder.
At two days old he had to go under the knife in a nine-hour operation to remove the life-threatening tumour and spent six weeks in intensive care at Yorkhill Children’s Hospital.
After facing further reconstructive surgeries, scans and regular hospital check-ups, the 10-year-old Maxwellton Primary pupil is now fighting fit.
As part of a home schooling exercise during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Calderwood youngster painted a rainbow of hope and wrote about his NHS hero, Dr Gregor Walker, who he and his family are forever grateful to for saving his life.
Jamie wrote: “My NHS hero is my doctor at the kids hospital. His name is Mr Walker and he has been my doctor since I was in my mum’s tummy (before I was born).
“When I was born I was nine weeks early and had a tumour the size of a rugby ball. It was attached to my spine, bowel and bladder. I was very small and very poorly and could have died.
“Mr Walker is my hero because he saved my life.
“When I was two days old I had a massive operation to remove my tumour. I have had more operations since then all done by Mr Walker. I see him every year, sometimes lots of times. He looks after me to make sure I stay healthy. I am 10 now and very healthy.
“Mr Walker is very clever and kind and always makes time to talk to me. He is my hero. My mum and dad say he’s their hero too. I love him loads.”
Jamie’s tumour was picked up on an ultrasound scan at 17 weeks. Although it was completely removed he will still need regular blood tests for the rest of his life to ensure it hasn’t grown back. Praising her son’s NHS hero, mum Ruth said: “We met Mr Walker before he was born. He was always super positive about Jamie’s outcome. It just so happened he was on call when Jamie was born and ended up being his consultant.
“Jamie is remarkable, his bladder is working fine and although his bowel is damaged he copes well with minimal medications.
“He sees Mr Walker every year and gets regular scans/tests to ensure he is healthy. Mr Walker has done every operation and always sees Jamie without any hesitation if we have any issues.
“Jamie thinks very highly of him and calls him his hero and decided to write a bit about him for his homeschooling exercise.
“Now a happy and healthy 10-yearold, Mr Walker really is Jamie’s NHS hero.”