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| Harvey’s Gang was formed to allow young people with long-term health conditions to visit medical laboratories. Photograph: Elaine Thompson/AP |
Harvey Buster Baldwin was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia aged six and spent many weeks in Worthing hospital, where I worked as a biomedical scientist. As an inquisitive six-year-old he asked questions about his blood. We arranged for Harvey to visit the pathology laboratory to try and answer some of his questions. I took Harvey around the lab, showing him all the specialist equipment we use, and we looked down the microscope to see his own red cells, platelets and white cells. Harvey went away with all the answers to the questions he had been asking, and I felt like I had made a difference to this young man’s life.
Over the next 18 months Harvey fought a massive battle with leukaemia. He had help from biomedical scientists, teams of doctors, paediatric nurses and play specialists in the laboratories and Worthing and Royal Marsden hospitals. He also had some bone marrow donated from his brother. Harvey lost his battle aged eight. I learnt of the story of his life after he had visited the lab with all of his questions, from his mum, his consultant paediatrician and the play specialists. He relished having the white lab coat and ID badge that we gave him. Continue reading ....
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