MEDICAL
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
INFORMATION
FOR KIDS
LATEST NEWS
01 Aug 2010 | Press Release
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A brave young boy, William Milne is amongst a small percentage of children in the UK to undergo a small bowel transplant. At only seven years-old, William is currently recovering from one of two operations he has had to have since his organ transplant in 2008.
When Medikidz heard about William's story, they immediately put pen to paper to begin developing a story around his illness. This comic, as well as all the comics produced by Medikidz, explains the journey of the body before, during and after a condition. It tells the story in a way that is imaginative, engaging and easy to understand.
Developed by a team of doctors, the books are used as an educational tool that empowers children with the knowledge they need, to take ownership of their illness, while taking away their fear of the unknown. Marvel Comics expert, John Taddeo, also contributes to the drawings for the comics.
Case Study background:
William first underwent a small bowel transplant in November 2008 when he was just six years old. Since then, he has had to have two further operations due to complications - the most recent of which took place this week.
The transplant and operations took place in Birmingham Children's Hospital well-known throughout the country for specialising in children's organ transplants. William is one of only 91 children to have had this operation since they began in 1993.
William lives in Croydon with his family. He has two older sisters, aged 11 and 14, who have both had to come to terms with his illness. The Medikidz book has also helped them to understand what he is going through and how it affects his body.
Quick facts about organ transplants:
Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone who needs a transplant. The generosity of donors and their families enables nearly 3,000 people in the UK every year to take on a new lease of life.
Factors affecting transplants are blood group and size primarily.
Patients usually only get one chance with heart and/or lung transplants as the anti-rejection drugs can damage the body even though they are vital to maintaining the patients' health for the rest of their lives.
Kidneys, heart, liver, lungs, pancreas, small bowel, corneas, heart valves and bone can all be transplanted. Skin can be used to treat patients with severe burns. Techniques are improving all the time and it may soon be practical to transplant other parts of the body.
Every year hundreds of people die while waiting for a transplant and many others lose their lives before they even get on to the transplant list. There is a serious shortage of organs and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is increasing.
Medikidz background
'Medikidz' are a gang of five larger-than-life superheroes, who each specialise in a different part of the human body. The characters are funny, relatable and unique; entertaining young patients as well as educating them about serious medical issues.
The Medikidz characters live on 'Mediland' - a living, moving planet shaped just like the human body. The children are taught about their own condition (ranging from ADHD, asthma, and diabetes, through to epilepsy, food allergy, HIV, swine flu and osteosarcoma) by going on a personal tour through Mediland.
Each comic book is co-written by a doctor - alongside graphic novelist John Taddeo (of Marvel Comics fame). It is subsequently peer reviewed by a leading professor and clinical nurse specialist within the field. We currently have fifty internationally- renowned consultants on our medical advisory board, with over 300 titles planned for the future.
Why?
Every day, millions of children worldwide are diagnosed with conditions that even their parents may find difficult to comprehend. Most children don't understand their medical conditions, associated investigations or why they need to receive medical treatment and how it will help them in the future.
In the past, it has been a commonly-held view that children are too young to understand medical concepts, or - worse - are better off not knowing. Therefore, there is an unsatisfied need for medical information for young patients to not only educate, but also for compliance purposes.
How?
Medikidz graphic novels are available for £6.99 each from Amazon.co.uk and Medikidz.com. For more information about Medikidz, please visit www.medikidz.com.