BACK FROM THE BRINK
Teen honours hospital a decade on
NICHOLAS Walpole was just eight years old when he was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease, Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis.
A decade on, and just weeks after the Leopold local’s 18th birthday, Nicholas and his parents are preparing to celebrate the hospital that helped save his life during the 2019 Good Friday Appeal.
“It was back in 2009, and he started with just a virus,” mum Maria Walpole said.
“So his immune system switched on to fight the virus, but it didn’t switch off, so it started attacking itself.
“It got confused in its footprint, so it started attacking the brain rather than the virus,” dad Norman added.
After staying in Geelong hospital for a bit more than a week, Nicholas was sent to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne — where he’d stay for about two months.
“He had surgery as soon as he got there and had a drain inserted in his brain to drain the fluid that had built up, and sort of went from there,” Mrs Walpole said.
“They discovered he had something they called Bickerstaff brainstem encephalitis, and they would treat it with immunoglobulins.
“So that’s what happened and thankfully it worked.”
The pressure on Nicholas’ brain caused by the swelling resulted in the young boy losing the ability to talk and walk as he once could, leaving him with plenty of rehabilitation to undertake.
Despite the rough road, it took Nicholas just two years to be back playing footy and cricket and he’s now enjoyed a complete recovery — thanks to the team at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
“They were very good,” Nicholas said. “Obviously I was very sick, and I got out after a couple of months. It was a big job they did, and they just do it for so many other people, it’s just such a great hospital.”
Nicholas, Maria and Norman will celebrate this week’s Good Friday as they always do, with some quiet reflection on their own experiences, a thoughtful donation to the cause, and by catching some of the broadcast.