
The 'bionic bishop' who broke every bone in his face
'Cornflake face'
The Rt Rev Chessun was rushed to St Thomas' Hospital, then to a specialist maxillofacial trauma team at King's College Hospital in Denmark Hill, south-east London.Heading the team that night was Professor Kathy Fan. The bishop remembers their first conversation."She said 'Your face is cornflakes' but she said my airbag had protected my skull, my brain and my neck. She said 'It's my job to put it back together'... and that's what she set out to do."
Professor Fan told him she wanted to make the repairs in one long operation - it would be complicated but she had one aim in mind."She told me: 'When I do it, I don't want people staring at you and thinking what's different? I want them to listen to what you're saying because you're a bishop'. "So again there was that massive sense of trust, confidence, the skill, expertise, the wisdom, the experience... all those things came into play and it took away that sense of trauma for me."
'Face is identity'
Professor Fan told the BBC both eye sockets were damaged, his entire left cheekbone had dropped and "entire upper jaw was hanging loose". Most of the bones on his face were broken.She was keen to get the bishop back working again before the busy Christmas period and praised the efforts of the whole team.She said: "I have a pretty amazing job. I always think it's a real privilege to work on people's faces: people trust us."We have the ability to try and put people back when they've been unfortunate enough to be injured."Our face is our identity - people look at us and make judgment about us so it's important to recreate someone's identity."
There were moments when Bishop Chessun wondered if he'd be able to return to work, but three months later, just before Christmas, he was back at Southwark Cathedral.His face is held together with numerous pins and plates - I ask if he considers himself to be the 'bionic bishop'."Something like that, I think I am", he laughs, and recalls a recent trip to the Holy Land when he feared his face might set of the airport scanners. It didn't.
Nine months on, he is nearly fully recovered and can't praise the medical teams who gave him back his face enough."People look at your face - this is how they make contact with you - so your facial identity is a crucial part of things."I think that sense of being supported by the prayers of those in my diocese, those who knew me, those who cared for me, made an enormous difference."I think not just to morale but to confidence and sense of wellbeing. I had an underlying feeling that all would be well."
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Times
an hour ago
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Fewer resident doctors thought to have gone on strike than in last year's stoppage
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Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
More pressure on Wes Streeting as nurses and ambulance workers reject pay deal amid militant doctors' strikes
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The BMA revealed it had told three members to skip the strike and return to work this weekend for patient safety - a trainee paediatrician on the neonatal intensive care unit at Nottingham City Hospital and two anaesthetists at University Hospital Lewisham in south London. Dr Melissa Ryan, who is leading the BMA strike alongside Dr Ross Nieuwoudt, joined a picket line outside St Thomas' Hospital in Westminster, London. She told members: 'We have a government that wants to divide us, but we are stronger than that. 'I encourage you to hold the line, strike hard, and wait for the government to come back and make the next move with a credible offer.' Striking doctors waved banners including 'Do no harm - except to our bank balances!' and 'Why is my assistant paid more than me?' Dr Emre Karaduman, 27, who works at Ealing Hospital, west London, said: 'Our pay has been degraded since 2008. I know there was a financial crisis, but doctors shouldn't have to pay the price for that. 'If Wes Streeting wants us to help cut the patient waiting list, he needs to give us full pay restoration.' One doctor from Chelsea and Westminster hospital, who gave her name as Naiha, 25, accused Mr Streeting of 'guilt tripping' doctors by claiming lives would be put at risk – and rejected comparisons between doctors and other public officials who have not received such large pay rises. 'It's pointless trying to compare doctors to other professions,' she said. 'If people in other sectors feel hard done by, I would urge them to strike as well. I think everyone deserves to be paid a living wage, and right now ours barely scratches the surface.' Another who gave his name as Joe, 26, added: 'Medicine is an incredibly important career. We go through a massive amount of training and take on a lot of risk and responsibility that people in other sectors don't. But I've got a friend in finance whose bonus last year was more than double my salary.' Mr Streeting condemned the strike as 'reckless, unnecessary and unreasonable', as resident doctors have already received inflation-busting pay rises totalling 28.9 per cent over three years. 'A 28.9 per cent pay rise and a government that was willing to work with them are not grounds for strike action,' he said. 'This government will not allow the BMA to hold the country to ransom. 'We are doing everything we can to minimise the risk to patients, but I want to be honest with people - what we can't do is eliminate disruption or risk. 'However much the BMA try and sugar-coat it, what they are fundamentally doing today is forgetting the three words that should be at the forefront of every doctor's mind every day: Do No Harm.' He added an 'amazing mobilisation' by other NHS staff, including senior doctors cancelling annual leave, had helped 'keep the show on the road'. 'We are also seeing lots of resident doctors turning up to work today, ignoring their union because they want to be there for patients too,' he said. 'This is going to be a disruptive five days, but I am extremely grateful to NHS staff and leaders who are working their socks off to minimise the disruption.' Some elective procedures will have to be cancelled or delayed due to the strikes, extending waiting lists. The BMA has suggested this is no great hardship, but Mr Streeting said patients who have been waiting a long time for such procedures 'do come to harm'. BMA council chairman Dr Tom Dolphin told the Today programme it was 'very disappointing to see a Labour Government taking such a hard line against trade unions'. Resident doctors are qualified doctors in clinical training. They have completed a medical degree and can have up to nine years of working experience as a hospital doctor, depending on their specialty, or up to five years of working and gaining experience to become a GP. On Friday, NHS chief executive Jim Mackey said he hoped the BMA would come back to the negotiating table. 'I would hope that after this, we will be able to get people in a room and resolve the issue,' he said. 'We could be doing this once a month for the next six months, so we've got to organise ourselves accordingly.'