Family praises NHS support

The mum of a brave young Airdrie schoolboy who is adapting to life with a stoma after years of feeling unwell has praised the care and treatment he received.

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Ashley Guild, 31, told how eight-year-old Joey was constantly being sick and losing weight due to a problem with his stomach and bowel.

The family had repeated trips to hospital that resulted in long stays and Joey had to take long periods off school because he was so unwell.

Joey was referred to the surgical team in the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), Glasgow.

He required surgery to create a stoma and afterwards, paediatric gastrostomy and stoma clinical nurse specialist Louise Paterson and the stoma nursing team helped to support Joey and his mum with all aspects of his stoma care in hospital and once at home.

Last week Joey received a special “stoma bear” from charity A Bear Named Buttony, which makes toys and storybooks to help young children feel less alone when they have to have a stoma.

The Aberdeenshire-based charity was set up by Jenny Gow MBE 10 years ago after her own daughter Eilidh, now 28, had to have a surgery to create a stoma at the age of three.

Buttony the Bear is designed to help children adapt to life with a stoma as it has one too.