A birthday to remember at DGRI

Pippa (12), Krue (5) and Beatrice (7) spent the day exploring the laboratory, learning about blood science and enjoying a range of activities aimed to help make the hospital experiences feel less daunting.

The tour was especially meaningful for Pippa, as the visit fell on her birthday. For a child who has spent time around hospitals and blood tests, being able to celebrate the day by exploring the lab, meeting the team behind her care and learning through fun helped turn what can often feel like a stressful environment into a positive memory.

 

 

Krue arrived with plenty of questions and was already talking about coming back to work in the laboratory one day, while Beatrice made sure to stop for a photo with the scientist board painted by Agata.

The children learned all about the journey their blood samples take through the laboratory and why blood tests are so important for patient care. Along the way, they got hands-on with lots of activities, including:

• pipetting colourful reactions
• spotting hidden emojis in blood films down the microscope
• taking part in a laboratory eye spy challenge
• sending “squishy penguins” through the pod system to paediatrics

One penguin even ended up taking a very long trip around the hospital before finally making its way back with a surprise message waiting for the children.

Gayle Johnstone said:

Helping the children understand where their bloods go really helps alleviate their worries, as they can now picture all the processes involved. We had so much fun and we loved answering all their questions.

At the end of the visit, all three children proudly took home their trainee scientist certificates. And who knows, perhaps some future biomedical scientists were inspired along the way.