A brand new MRI system has helped a nine-year-old Leeds boy with a rare disease.
A donation of over £20,000 has been donated to Leeds Cancer Centre by Yorkshire Children's Hospital Fund. Now a brand new MRI entertainment system has been installed in order to help children during scans.
Having a MRI scan can be very distressing for young children, and often staff have to use general anaesthetic to send a child to sleep so they lie still. The new entertainment system means that instead of sedation, children have a welcome distraction from treatment. Now, they can watch their favourite movies and TV shows on platforms like Disney+ and Netflix.
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The system has helped Leeds boy Freddie with his MRI procedure. Freddie has Alagille Syndrome, a rare and chronic disease which affects his liver and heart.
He has been treated at Leeds Children's Hospital since he was born and has had many MRI scans over the years. The brave boy often finds it hard to settle down for scans and treatment, according to his mum Emma.
But now, thanks to the new entertainment system, Emma has seen a huge change in him. She said: "The TV really helped distract Freddie from his MRI procedure.
"It makes the whole room feel a lot more child-friendly and less clinical." Freddie is thrilled that he can now watch Pup Academy, one of his favourite TV series.
Freddie said: "Sometimes I get nervous to have a scan, but I really liked the TV, it helped distract and calm me down."
From the moment a child is moved into the scanner, to the point where they feel most anxious, through to the end of their examination, the system helps keep young patients' minds off the treatment.
