Dinya's Story

Dinya is full of life, a ‘social butterfly’ who likes to be out and about whenever she can. She loves her friends and enjoys spending time in nature. She loves music, even more so when her mum and sister dance around with her! Dinya was born prematurely at 26 weeks, she suffered a brain haemorrhage and was in the intensive care unit for around six months. Dinya was diagnosed with cerebral palsy quadriplegia and severe scoliosis. Frighteningly, Dinya collapsed at school one day, the ambulance was called and she was admitted into hospital. After four separate trips to hospital, the family were introduced to their Roald Dahl Nurse Natalie who was able to help get answers.  Dinya's mum Muna explains, ‘Since Natalie's come on board, there has been a massive shift.  She was able to see the struggles that I had and find answers quickly and efficiently. Being able to reach Natalie meant that I could support Dinya, and that we didn’t have to go into hospital so quickly whenever there was a problem. She was able to connect us, making sure that the relevant medication that had been issued got through to us quickly.’ Natalie is Dinya’s advocate in hospital. Muna explains the difference that has made. ‘She is our voice and by having her we were able to reduce the number of times we went into hospital. Before Natalie had come on board, we were in and out like a yo-yo. By the third time we met Natalie things started to stabilise. We had gone from four hospital admissions in four months to only one.’ 'Alongside all the clinical and social care support, Natalie has been an essential sounding board for Muna, ‘I think having someone that you can speak to, not just offload, but someone that can be very transparent, very open with us. You don't expect things to be fixed or resolved or done, but knowing someone's hearing you, knowing that someone's taking your voice and getting people to listen to it. My anxiety is a little bit more stable. Knowing that someone's listening to me, responding, that responsiveness can be so helpful.' 'Natalie is a lifeline for parents like us. I will never ever forget what she's done for us. I'm ever so grateful to her. It really is not just for the child, but for the families, the impact it has made has been very, very, very positive for us, definitely life changing.'