Theo's Lab Tour at DGRI

One of his first activities was learning about the hospital’s pneumatic tube system, where his squidgy penguin, Woody, volunteered for a journey to the children’s ward.

Theo carefully sent his penguin off, although he wasn’t entirely convinced Woody would make it back. Thankfully, he soon came whizzing back through the tube, along with a special message and gift for Theo.

With Woody safely returned, Theo was ready to explore more of the laboratory.

He put his observation skills to the test with a game of laboratory eye spy and quickly got the hang of pipetting. When it was time to look at a blood film, Theo saw something different among the cells - lots of funny, emoji-like faces.

He also created his own pretend blood sample, which he decided deserved the very official name of 'Mickey Mouse'. By this point, the nerves Theo had arrived with were gone, and he had taken a liking to being a biomedical scientist for the day.

Gayle, who helped organise Theo’s tour, said:

Theo has been so brave getting his bloods taken and we hope his tour will help him for any future appointments. He loved his lab coat and didn't want to take it off!

As well as helping the children, the tours really help the parents too as it can be a worrying time waiting for results to come back.

For Theo, the tour made the unfamiliar parts of the laboratory a little more familiar. For his family, it offered a chance to see what happens behind the scenes while they wait for those all important results.

And for Woody? A successful journey through the hospital and, most importantly, a safe return to Theo.