William’s Lab Tour at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary

Last year, the team at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary opened their doors to William for a Harvey’s Lab Tour. Joined by his grandparents, Mike and Irene, and his community nurse, Ava, they were excited to get a glimpse into the laboratory.

William has a condition called cyclical neutropenia and can feel anxious when having his bloods taken, so the visit was arranged to help him see what happens to his samples and meet the staff who work with them. He enjoyed ringing the bell to let everyone know he had arrived and, since the tour, now knows exactly where to bring his blood samples next time.

As part of the tour, William took part in an eye spy activity and quickly found everything on the list. He was also given the chance to look down the microscope at a blood film made from his own sample. William was very excited, and even his grandparents couldn’t resist taking a look.

Later, William tried his hand at pipetting and made the lab’s first ever ‘Spider-Man’ colour reaction, showing good technique and great focus.

 

 

Specialist Biomedical Scientist, Gayle Johnstone, said:

William had great technique pipetting his colour reactions and made the first Spider-Man blood we’ve had. Hopefully a scientist in the making. The whole tour made us all smile and I’m sure William will never forget it. He’s going to be a superhero next time he gets his blood taken!

Before leaving, William couldn’t miss out on a Dumfries tradition, sending a message through the laboratory pod system and watching it arrive safely at its destination.

The team said the visit was a pleasure from start to finish. William’s confidence grew throughout the tour, and they’re sure he’ll remember the experience next time he visits for his blood tests.