Getting back to normal life after a traumatic injury

Hamad, 13, loved his active life, enjoying a wide range of sports and spending his time by the sea. But after a traumatic accident in his home country of Kuwait, Hamad was left with a laryngeal fracture and a perforated oesophagus.

After his accident, doctors performed a tracheostomy to help him breathe without using his nose or mouth. Alongside his vocal cord paralysis, Hamad’s ruptured oesophagus meant liquid was leaking into his airway.

Searching for the right specialist

At this point, Hamad’s father decided to search for the best care he could for his son, whether that was at home or abroad. “When Hamad was admitted to the ICU, I started doing my research,” Hamad’s father says. “At first, we were deciding between going to the UK and the US for Hamad’s treatment.” 

Hamad’s father contacted one of the USA’s leading hospitals, renowned for its paediatric trauma care, about what they could do for Hamad. While the hospital would have readily accepted Hamad and he’d have received excellent care there, it was a long way to travel from Kuwait. But during his research, Hamad’s father came across a surgeon with an excellent reputation for paediatric care – Mr Richard Hewitt, Paediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat Consultant at The Portland Hospital.

“Mr Hewitt is well-known for treating these kinds of injuries, and when I mentioned his name to the team in the US, they said I should transfer Hamad’s care to him,” says Hamad’s father. Considering the expertise of Mr Hewitt and the shorter travel time needed to get to the UK compared to America, Hamad’s father made the decision to transfer Hamad’s care to Mr Hewitt at The Portland Hospital.

Critical care for a complex condition

Once Hamad arrived at The Portland Hospital, the team immediately began planning the best treatment for him. They performed an endoscopy to fully assess the damage caused by Hamad’s accident, which revealed that he’d need complex reconstructive surgery to repair the damage caused by the blunt trauma.  

After this finding, Hamad’s surgery was arranged for soon after. The Portland Hospital takes a dual-consultant approach to complex surgeries like Hamad’s, with Mr Hewitt operating on Hamad alongside Consultant Paediatric Surgeon Professor Paolo De Coppi. The surgery took the team four hours and was a success. 

A home away from home

Any type of major surgery after an accident can be a worrying time, and even more so when you’re so far from home. But the team at The Portland Hospital worked to make Hamad feel as comfortable as possible. “They did an amazing job, and I’d really like to thank them,” says Hamad. “I spent time with the play team during my recovery which really helped, and I could do things I enjoyed like playing PlayStation.”

Feeling like you’re at home isn’t just about your surroundings - it’s about the people who are around you too. “Lots of people could come and visit me - my friends, my family, my cousins. It made it much more fun,” Hamad says.

But Hamad’s surgery was just the start of his road to recovery. After the initial recovery from his surgery, Hamad started his rehabilitation with The Portland’s therapies team. He had to relearn essential functions including walking, swallowing, and self care.

A return to strength and confidence

The intensive therapy and close support from the therapies team helped Hamad regain the strength and confidence he’d lost. “The team sped up Hamad’s recovery, but so did the confidence and motivation they gave him,” says Hamad’s father. “It’s so important to have a team who motivates you like that.” Hamad also worked with the speech and language therapy team to help him get his voice back, alongside supporting him with eating and drinking again.

With the support of the whole therapies team, Hamad was soon getting back to doing the activities he loved again. He was able to integrate his favourite sports into his therapy. “Part of my therapy was playing football, and I got to use the hydrotherapy pool at UCL [University College London].” 

Time to head back home

After months of therapy, Hamad was ready to return home. “I’m looking forward to being back home for the summer, seeing all my friends and family again, and being back in my house,” says Hamad. “And I’m looking forward to playing football and padel, and swimming again.”

Hamad and his family were incredibly grateful for all the care he received. “The whole team here - the doctors, the nurses, the therapists - they all did a tremendous job with Hamad,” says Hamad’s father. “We’re so blessed to have come to The Portland, rather than going somewhere different that we didn’t know about.”