‘We would like to say thank you for all the fantastic care that you have given our daughter over the past few years. She and we are so pleased that she is now pain free and hopefully her malformation won’t bother her again in the future.’

‘I wanted to thank you for being so available during our son’s treatment, even whilst on holiday. Your constant communication has been such a reassurance to us and I suspect this whole episode would have been a great deal more stressful without you. So thank you, I can’t tell you how much we have appreciated you!’

‘Dr Alex is really nice. She helps to makes me feel brave.’

‘Our son has had sclerotherapy done by Dr Barnacle several times over the last four years. Coming to Great Ormond Street was stressful at the start but now we know what to expect and the day goes quite quickly. We get to see Dr Barnacle before the procedure and ask our questions and she is always welcoming and reassuring. She calls us a few days after the procedure to check our son is doing ok. He is making good progress and although we know sclerotherapy is not a cure, the treatments help him to lead a normal life.’

‘When we met Dr Barnacle, it was so reassuring to be told exactly what the problem was that our daughter had, and what could be done about it. We had seen so many other doctors who told us completely different things – it was so confusing. She was really good at explaining things and letting us ask questions. We felt like we were in safe hands.’

‘Kacey was diagnosed with orbital lymphangioma (these were cysts behind the eye filled with fluid causing the eye to bulge) when she was 2 and a half years old. Before we were referred to Doctor Barnacle we had been on an emotional roller coaster. Kacey had numerous operations at local hospitals which seemed to make the condition worse.

It was a huge relief to meet Doctor Barnacle, finally a person who knew something about our daughter’s condition and how to treat it. Right from our first meeting, Doctor Barnacle and her team have always been caring, sympathetic and listened to both Kacey and ourselves, making sure Kacey was as comfortable as possible.

When Doctor Barnacle has seen us on the ward after the operation she has always told us how the operation had gone and what we should expect, she is never in a rush and answers any questions we may have. Our daughter has been a patient of Doctor Barnacle for over four years now. The results from the operations have been amazing, from an eye that bulged to the extent that it couldn’t move, was permanently open and was unable to blink, to an eye that almost looks normal. After every operation there as been swelling and our daughter as been in some discomfort, it doesn’t matter how many times you go through it, the feelings still stay the same for us as parents …

The shock of how she looks after the operation and seeing her in pain makes you feel sick and anxious because you can’t do anything to help her. However everything possible is done to ensure that she is in as little pain as possible. The results aren’t instant as it takes a few weeks for the swelling to subside, it’s a long process, but the end results for us so far have been brilliant. All thanks to Doctor Barnacle and her team.’