MediCinema was there to help us through: Isabelle’s Story

For Isabelle, being in hospital was overwhelming. Having surgery was scary and the hardest part was being away from her friends. She was in a lot of pain, nervous about her operation, and developed a phobia of needles during her stay.

But amidst it all, our family found moments of joy and escape at the MediCinema, and our visits helped Isabelle to cope with her pain and anxiety.

Our first visit to the MediCinema came when Isabelle could barely walk, still recovering from surgery and in need of a wheelchair. We didn’t know what to expect, but to be honest, we were just desperate for anything that would take us off the ward. To be met by cheery volunteers – different, smiling faces – ready to take us to the cinema, everything transformed into an exciting escape.

The whole family – me, Dad, Isabelle and her older sister, Harriet – went together and watched a film that had only just been released. The movie itself was great, but the real gift was the chance to have some quality family time – something hard to come by when you’re in hospital. It helped distract Isabelle from her pain, but it was even more than that – it was a source of happiness during a painful time.

Isabelle summed it up best when she said: “If there wasn’t a MediCinema at the hospital, I wouldn’t have been happy.”

As parents, the hardest part of being in hospital was seeing Isabelle so poorly – and the uncertainty of not knowing what the next day would bring. On top of juggling work and caring for Harriet, we were constantly worrying, with nothing else to focus on apart from what we were all going through. But MediCinema gave us a break from that. It took our brains somewhere else. For a couple of hours, we weren’t in a hospital ward anymore; we were just a family, watching a film – smiling together at the funny scenes, forgetting about the beeping machines on the other side of the doors. We’d all go back to the ward lighter, chatting to the nurses and each other about what we had seen.

Our experience at the MediCinema didn’t just help us cope in the moment; it gave us something joyful to look back on. Yes, it was a really difficult time for us, but we can look back as a family and remember that going to the MediCinema was something fun we did together. When Isabelle had to go back in a few weeks later, I remember that sinking feeling as we walked through the hospital doors, thinking “Here we go again.” But knowing the MediCinema was there softened the blow and made it that little bit easier.

We sing MediCinema’s praises to anyone and everyone we know. The girls have wanted to do The Great North Run for a while now and this year we asked them if they’d like to do it – and to try and raise money for a charity. Without hesitation they said they wanted to raise money for MediCinema. They both believe that every hospital should have one and we wholeheartedly agree. It’s had a huge impact on our family, not only distracting Isabelle from her pain in those difficult moments but giving us all something positive to hold on to. And now, even though we hope we never have to go back, we know that if we do – MediCinema will be there, helping us through.