Henry Helps NHS Flu Vaccine Message
Last January, having enjoyed his rugby at Wadebridge Camels the previous day, eight-year-old Henry Riley went down with flu.
It soon became clear that he was in trouble and, having difficulty breathing, he was rushed by ambulance to hospital.
Said his mum Janine “It was a horrible time. One day he was out on the rugby pitch having fun, the next he was really, really poorly. At our local hospital he was taken to theatre because he couldn’t breathe and then he was transferred to Bristol paediatric intensive care unit and put on a ventilator. It was a very scary time.
“Once he began to recover he went back to our local hospital but he had gone from being a happy, healthy, rugby-playing eight year old to a little boy who couldn’t stand up or walk down the corridor. He had lots of physio to help with his breathing and little by little he made good progress, until after a month he was managing just an hour or so of school a day.”
Henry and his mum wanted to let other children and parents know why the flu vaccine matters and they now feature in an NHS public health video.
“He has also given talks to schoolmates and lots of parents are now signing up for the vaccine,” said Janine. “He was so glad to return to his rugby club before the end of the season and delighted to get the players’ player award. It meant a lot to him.”
Said Henry, who is now nine and will be a mascot for England at a Twickenham Six Nations match: “When I was poorly I missed playing rugby with my team. It was great to get back to rugby because it’s my favourite sport. Every week I look forward to seeing my team, who all go to different schools.
“What I love most about rugby is scoring tries, tackling people and being with my team. I’m so excited about being a mascot for England and I hope when people see the film about how ill I got this year they will get the flu vaccine and keep well.”
