Throughout this year, we will be supporting the incredible work carried out by the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity Neurology Department whose dedication and expertise have touched the lives of countless children and families, including the inspiring story of Zak Forbes.

Zak Forbes is a 6-year-old boy who fell very ill with bacterial meningitis in October 2022. On October 13th, he had a seizure which then led to him being ventilated and in need of emergency brain surgery at Glasgow Children’s Hospital. His parents were told that he had a life-threatening infection on his brain and needed this surgery immediately to save his life.

He was operated on by neurosurgeon Mr. Raju Sangra, who performed a decompressive craniotomy, where his skull was removed and put into his abdomen to keep it sterile and to reduce the swelling on his brain.

When he came off his ventilator 5 days later, it was found that Zak had bilateral hearing loss due to meningitis and would need another emergency surgery to have cochlear implants fitted. After further antibiotic treatment, Zak was operated on by neurosurgeon Mr. Roddy O’Kane who replaced his bone flap.

Zak had almost 6 months of rehabilitation when he left the hospital at home, learning to walk and to talk again and getting used to his new way of hearing with his cochlear implants.

Thanks to the expertise of neurosurgeons like Mr. Raju Sangra and Mr. Roddy O’Kane, Zak not only survived but is now thriving back at school, enjoying life to the fullest.

His story highlights the importance of the specialised care provided by the Neurology Department, from life-saving surgeries to ongoing rehabilitation and support for children and their families.

We are honoured to support the incredible work of the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity for the next 12 months.