Initially, Alaa had to travel from home twice a week for 3–4-hour dialysis sessions. This was typically a 40-minute trip each way, but sometimes took over an hour depending on traffic. This seriously impacted both school and home life for Alaa and her family.

Recently, she started using a home haemodialysis machine, which had reduced the need for hospital visits to once a month. The switch to home haemodialysis has been very beneficial and has reduced the stress of needing to travel to Leeds so frequently.

The play team at Leeds Children’s Hospital has been instrumental in making Alaa’s hospital experience a positive one.  Alaa loves painting and the team provide crafting arts and crafts, Lego and many other activities so Alaa has time for creativity and fun.

The play team also provide age appropriate, child friendly resources such as books and adapted dolls or bears. This helps Alaa understand her medical condition, diagnosis and treatment- Alaa made her own transplant bear which has a poorly kidney just like her, when Alaa gets a kidney transplant so will her bear.

She told us: “I still have the book. When I'm bored, I always read it. It’s about a bear who had a poorly kidney and also a urostomy bag.

The bear was really cute. We put a heart inside of it and a poorly kidney inside of it. It's cute, I still sleep with it!”

For a time, the play team were unable to attend the dialysis unit, and the absence of play support was particularly challenging. Alaa was left to create her own entertainment during the long dialysis sessions and would ask the nurses to stay and talk to her, but they were often too busy to do this for very long. Alaa was able to bring in her tablet from home but was unable to use to Wi-Fi without the play team to provide the connection details, limiting its use.

Alaa was delighted to hear that the play team would be available at all times, including weekends. “It would make me really happy,” she said.

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