Jasper’s Journey at Noah's Ark Children's Hospital

Jasper is eight years old and under the care of the Noah's Ark Children's Hospital for Wales. He has APDS and is currently undergoing a bone marrow transplant. As a result, he has to have regular blood tests, so he was very interested in finding out what happens to his blood samples.

The Tour

Jasper was an eager scientist from the get go. He quickly mastered how to use a pipette, learnt how samples are booked in, and saw how different machines analyse the samples. 

To explore infection prevention, the team used a hand gel that fluoresces under UV light. This showed how well people wash their hands, and how germs can transfer between people and surfaces such as chairs and fridge-freezer handles. Jasper used the UV light to track where the team had been and awarded points to those who had washed their hands the best.

Jasper then helped mock up an ELISA plate using food dyes. He used a multi-channel pipette to add the dyes and watched the colour changes, just as the team would when identifying positive samples.

Lastly, Jasper prepared a serial dilution using mock blood and then programmed and ran one of the laboratory’s IQC samples through the flow cytometer, as if he were completing a real lymphocyte subset test. This is one of the tests the laboratory performs for Jasper, so it gave him a clear picture of what happens when his blood sample comes into the lab.

Jasper was shown throughout his visit how biomedical scientists look for clues in blood results, and how those results help guide his treatment.

The Tour's Impact

Kath Bramhall took time to explain to Jasper about immunodeficiency and how cells work, and how sometimes people have missing or those that they do have don't work.

Jasper was engrossed in these explanations, which helped him understand his medical journey and gave him a sense of greater control over his treatment.   

Jasper also enjoyed using some of the lab's equipment and taking part in experiments.

Commenting on Jasper's visit, the team at Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab had this to say:

It was wonderful to have Jasper and his parents visit us in the Laboratory. He was very excited and interested to see what happens to samples once they reach us in the Lab. 

The clinical team that looks after Jasper also came to observe part of the tour, and it was amazing to have everyone in one room who contributes to Jasper’s care!

This tour was a great reminder to us all of the Labs' contributions to patient care.

Jasper’s parent had this to say about their experience:

Jasper has had more blood tests than any child should, but seeing where his samples go — and meeting the people who protect him from behind the scenes — gave him confidence, clarity, and joy in a place that once felt frightening.

The Cardiff Immunology team transformed something clinical into something magical; they didn’t just show him machines, they showed him the science and kindness that keep children like him safe every day.

This tour was a powerful reminder of the unseen work behind caring for children with rare conditions like APDS — giving Jasper a deeper understanding of his own body, and giving all of us a greater appreciation for the science that saves lives.

We want to thank the team at The Medical Biochemistry and Immunology Lab in Cardiff for their creativity and kindness in making Jasper’s tour such a memorable experience.

You can follow Jasper's Journey here>>