What’s your King’s story?
Back in 2024, I had an ultrasound scan of my lower back due to an ongoing issue with a degenerative disease. I did a lot of running and I started getting some aches and pains. I went in for an ultrasound, and then by chance, they found a cyst on my spleen, which I had no knowledge of. I had no issues or any kind of symptoms, but it just caught me completely off guard.
I was referred to King's, due to the size of the cyst and the rarity of it, I suppose. I spoke to Dr Atkinson, from the Liver Outpatients team. After a few meetings with him, it was decided that I would have the cyst removed along with my spleen.
I had about six to nine months worth of consultations, while the clinicians were deciding on the best course of action. It was quite a tense time. You know, everything seemed to be up in the air not knowing what was going to happen. But, the whole time I felt like I wasn't being forgotten.
And there was always that communication, I felt like I was cared for. I had the operation in March 2025. I went up to King's, fully expecting to have open surgery, that's what Dr Atkinson said that the likely course of action will be, due to the size of the cyst and the risk of it bursting.
But he said he would try and attempt keyhole surgery first. I went into surgery, came out after about five or six hours, feeling a bit worse for wear. But I found out quite quickly that he had actually managed to remove the cyst via keyhole surgery, so that was a big bonus for me.
And I spent the week in Dawson Ward, I believe it was, recovering. But I found I was well looked after and cared for.
I got discharged after a week and went home for about six hours, and then, unfortunately, I started getting a temperature, coming down with a fever, and unknown to the hospital, and unknown to me, I actually had a secondary infection. I had a leak in my lower abdomen, which caused an infection and which resulted in me going back up to King's for another week, fighting that infection.
I was on the Todd Ward during that time. Dr Atkinson and his team at the Liver Outpatients kept a close eye on me, and again, I was well looked after. I'm grateful for the care I did get and the result of which meant I was able to get home back to my family.
How would you describe the care you received at King’s?
It was the right balance between caring and professional. There's always a clinical element to being in hospital.
I'd never been in a hospital up until this point. So I didn't know what to expect. But I found it was professional, but then also at the right times, they were caring as well. I found it quite hard to switch off and let someone else look after me. I don't know whether that's just my age, though.
I work in a professional environment. I have responsibilities and I look after other people just to go into an environment where suddenly I'm being looked after. Also, being a dad as well of two kids, again you’re getting used to looking after people and to be in an environment where you’re having to lie there and be told what to do and what's happening.
And it's an adjustment. But King’s do it in the right way. And again, I felt I was able to put my faith in them that everything that was happening was for the right reasons.
Was there any staff member of team who looked after you particularly well?
When I had to go back to King's with the infection, the first couple of days were pretty rough when I was on these antibiotics. I was quite lucid, I was in and out of consciousness and not knowing where I was, but it was this one nurse. Her name was Comfort.
I'll always remember her name, I think that's quite an appropriate name for a nurse. And she had this real kind of bedside manner, where she related to what I was going through, almost because she said she had medical issues that she'd been going through recently, and she was able to sit there and talk to me about it.
And I talked about what I was going through and there was a real connection there. And I really, really appreciate her taking that time just to build a personal connection. And she really helped me in those couple of days. She spoke a few home truths that I needed to hear as well, because at the time I was sitting there feeling quite sorry for myself, thinking, "Here I go again, what’s this infection going to lead to?" Thinking of the worst-case scenario, even though I'm quite a positive person.
But she turned it around for me and she really made it positive again. Made me focus on what I needed to focus on.
Is there any way you feel King’s went above and beyond the kind of care you expected from the NHS?
I think that particular period where I went home from hospital, but then within six hours, I ended up having this fever.
I went to my local hospital, and I was in their A&E overnight, and I remember just lying there thinking, "This is not good." I've got this infection. I know, from not having a spleen, that infection is a real weakness for me. That's my main way of fighting an infection.
And I'm lying there in limbo now because I'm at my local hospital. I needed to be at King's because King's are the specialists, they know what has happened in the last couple of weeks, that's the best place to be for me. But King's managed to arrange to get the scans that I needed to get done quickly. They organised for an ambulance for me to be blue- lighted back up to King's. And then by the next morning, I was back in the ward at King's with Dr Atkinson and his team looking after me again.
I was so grateful just to be back and so quickly as well. I feel like they prevented the risk of spread of the infection by reacting as quickly as what they did it, despite the fact that this was over the weekend as well.
I was thinking it was a weekend in A&E and I was one of a number of people here. I'm just going to get lost in the numbers. But no, they did what they needed to do. Despite the demand that the NHS has, King's still gave me the care that I needed, which is something I’m definitely grateful for.
You recently took part in the London Landmarks Half Marathon, how was the day and how did it feel to give back to King’s?
It was a great day. Everything worked out well in the end. We had the right weather for it and the support that we had from the spectators was great. But there was also the cheer station that King's College Hospital Charity arranged at the right spot, at the Embankment at the start and at the end of the half marathon, just to spur you on to get you started, and to help you finish and get you over the line.
It's great having that support there. Everyone was wearing yellow, the same colour, so you really feel part of the team. The support that Hannan gave in the lead up to it, who was in charge of organising the event for us, she was fantastic and very responsive to any queries.
I managed to cross the finish line in a reasonable time. During my training, things didn’t exactly actually go to plan. I ended up in hospital again the month before, with another infection. So I was able to get to hospital, get back into my running trainers and actually go over the finish line, which was I was just happy to do that, to be honest.
And I raised quite a decent amount of money as well. So I'm thankful for everyone that contributed to that. There was lots of friends and family there to cheer me on. It was nice.
