Islington News: Tommy Bullman | University College Hospital | Bulbar Palsy

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Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 16 January 2009

Little Tommy Bullman has been at University College Hospital since October

Tommy, the baby who must wait to go home

PARENTS of a sixth-month-old baby with a rare brain disorder have praised the “fantastic and loving” care he is receiving in hospital as the family wait for the Town Hall to find the new home they now need.
Six-month-old Tommy Bullman has been ready to leave University College London Hospital in Bloomsbury since October, but because of his condition he needs a specially adapted home to share with his parents, brother and sister.
Tommy has bulbar palsy, which affects about 1,250 people in Britain. The baby, who cannot swallow, has to have oxygen fed through bulky equipment and a large suction machine to stop saliva going into his lungs. He needs a night-time nurse and his own room for 24-hour supervision.
The Bullmans – parents Elton and Sarah and their two children, aged eight and five – have been given extra housing points, but so far Islington Council’s housing arm, Homes for Islington, has been unable to find them suitable accommodation.
Tommy has been moved from the hospital’s maternity wing to his own room in the children’s ward, where he has become a hit with staff.
His mother Sarah, 33, said: “He’s being treated really well and the nurses and doctors adore him. I can spend all day with him, but I also have to take and collect my other two children from school.
“Tommy is like their little mascot. He seems a happy little soul with a lovely smile every time he sees me.”
The family have lived in St Peter’s Street, Angel, for five years but their council house is too small to be adapted as a suitable home for Tommy.
Lib Dem deputy council leader Councillor Terry Stacy said he was pulling out all the stops to find the Bullmans a suitable new home. He added: “I am personally monitoring the situation to ensure the council is doing everything it can to find them a more suitable property.
“Our medical officer has been talking in detail to the hospital to discuss the family’s needs and to make sure we find the right place for them.”

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