Recovery shocked and awed medical staff and parents

The doctor on duty at Geraldton Hospital when Ben Phillips was brought to the emergency department on October 25 said the teenager was an otherwise healthy young man who showed clinical signs of a brain injury.

Daniel Laubscher said Ben’s condition was a true emergency and speed and accuracy of diagnosis was crucial.

A CT scan revealed signs of a deteriorating condition.

“He showed signs of what the medical world refers to as coning, which means that the pressure inside his brain was reaching a critical level, ” Dr Laubscher said.

“No more than 20 minutes after Ben arrived in ED, the team became very concerned he might not make it.”

Dr Laubscher said many of the emergency department staff had prayed for Ben after he left Geraldton Hospital and were happy to hear he had returned home.

“Ben has had some of the best medical care available, ” he said.

“There is no doubt Ben’s recovery is nothing short of remarkable.

“Ben is a strong-willed young man and a great deal of his recovery can be attributed to his positive mental attitude.

“He is also very blessed to have a family that loves him so dearly. Their continued support will be invaluable in his further improvement.”

The doctor who operated on Ben at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital said the teenager was lucky to survive bleeding and severe swelling in his brain caused by an arteriovenous malformation present from birth.

Neurosurgery consultant Stephen Honeybul assessed Ben after his parents agreed to donate their son’s organs when they learned he would not live.

“It’s fair to say we did not expect him to recover, ” he said.

Amazingly, Ben survived an operation and had two more during three and a half tense months of recovery.

“All in all he has done very well and he has been very lucky, ” Mr Honeybul said.