Praises for Great Ormond Street Hospital after 12-year-old Burnham girl recovers from rare surgery

A brave 12-year-old Burnham school girl who underwent a rare thyroid operation is now home after a three-month spell in Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Metta Shinde, who has hyperthyroidism, spent 90 days at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), missing school and the Easter holidays following a thyroidectomy, a procedure normally performed on adults.

Despite being on medication, Metta’s two-year battle with the condition took a serious turn in December 2022 when she was left struggling to control her symptoms.

A further complication came when Metta developed neutropenia which meant that she repeatedly caught infections at a faster rate than normal.

During this time the Burnham Grammar School student was housebound and could not walk or climb stairs.

“We became very worried about her,” said dad Avinash who said that Metta was

dependent on round-the-clock care.

Metta also has Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel condition, so a team of experts joined forces to perform the procedure, which only a few children of her age have ever had.

“Due to [the] complexity and severity of Metta’s condition, two ENT surgeons, one from GOSH and one from UCLH, operated and successfully removed the thyroid gland without any complications,” said Avinash.

The surgery went well, with Avinash feeling relieved that his daughter was treated at ‘one of the best hospitals’.

“We felt very safe because we are in such expert hands,” he said.

“Hyperthyroidism is rare in terms of kids – only two surgeries have been done by that team so it was hard for them to manage because they didn’t have much data,” he said.

“Plus they had some challenges like managing her iodine levels. They had to monitor her very closely.”

He added: “Metta is a bold, brave girl. She never cries. Even the doctors said that she is very inspirational.

“I think with all that has happened to her she feels safe in hospital and it’s largely because the team at GOSH are so good at what they do, so supportive and great communicators plus everyone did their best to keep her spirits up.

“All the doctors in endocrine, gastroenterology, immunology and ENT; radiology; nursing staff, dinner lady, playworkers all worked really hard to make Metta a happy child.”

Back at home, the recovery plan for Metta involves rest and careful monitoring plus some light homework given online by Burnham Grammar School.

Avinash said that the school have ‘been amazing’ and has played a part in keeping Metta’s morale boosted. He hopes that she will attend school again soon.

The school’s headteacher, Dr Andy Gillespie, said: “We are delighted to see that Metta’s bravery, determination and positive attitude to embrace challenge have assisted her recovery.

“We will continue to work with her and her parents to

ensure that her journey back to full time education is fully supported.”

The family have asked for people to donate to Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Visit gosh.org/donate/