Barts and The London Children's Hospital | Patient stories | Waffa's story
Waffa's story
Diagnosed with the serious long-term condition, Crohn’s Disease, at the age of 10, Waffa Girshab never imagined she’d be taking her ‘A’ levels and thinking of a medical career.
It’s been a long haul for Waffa since she was admitted to Barts and The London Children’s Hospital in 2004 following a serious relapse in her condition. For the next six weeks, she had to be fed intravenously and was then confined to bed for a further four months, receiving nutrition via a tube inserted into her stomach through her nose. To make things worse, her joints flared up – a complication of Crohn’s – and she couldn’t walk.
Waffa continued with her education during her stay in hospital, with the help of her children’s hospital teacher and, within a year of leaving hospital, Waffa sat her GCSEs. Her ‘A’ level topics include biology and chemistry, as she’s thinking of pursuing a medical career.
“The doctors gave me so much support and encouragement that I was able to go back to school and catch up with my work. When I got home, everything was arranged for me so I didn’t have to worry,” says Waffa.
A large multidisciplinary team of specialists cares for Waffa. “We are all very impressed with Waffa’s determination, response to treatment and recovery,” says Consultant Paediatric Gastroenterologist Dr Sandhia Naik.
Waffa is the first young person in the UK to be given an innovative new injectible drug, which she administers herself at home every two weeks.
