Kara's Lab Tour at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary

Kara has Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, an autoimmune condition that causes joint inflammation and pain. She had been referred for a lab tour a few years ago, but plans had to be postponed because of COVID restrictions. The Dumfries team were thrilled to finally meet Kara and to hear she was still curious about what happened to her blood samples, even after a wait! 

This tour was a first not only for Kara and her mum, but also for Avril from paediatrics, who joined the Blood Sciences team for her first lab tour.

The tour 

Karen from Haematology kicked things off by showing Kara how platelets are kept moving and how blood is issued to patients. Kara then took a closer look through the microscope to spot 'emojis' in the neutrophils and even created her own DIY blood sample.

 

 

Harvey’s Lab Tours offer patients and their families a unique glimpse into the world of biomedical science, and the Dumfries team made sure to tailor the experience to Kara’s interests.

So, because The Vampire Diaries is Kara’s favourite show, she got to make her very own ‘vampire diary blood.’ It was impressively realistic!

Specialist Biomedical Scientist Gayle Johnstone shared afterwards:

Kara and Lucy thoroughly enjoyed the tour, and Kara’s mum told me they still haven’t stopped talking about it! It was wonderful to finally give Kara her own tour, and we had so much fun.

Kara and Lucy’s visit was a great success and an example of how lab tours can inspire young patients to learn more about the science behind their care. We’d like to thank the team at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary for their creativity and kindness in making Kara’s tour such a memorable experience.