Georgie Henley: Narnia actor with flesh-eating disease thanks Addenbrooke's
- Published
An actor who starred in the Chronicles of Narnia films has praised a hospital for its "exceptional care" after she contracted a flesh-eating disease.
Georgie Henley, 27, who played Lucy Pevensie in three films, was admitted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge with necrotising fasciitis, aged 18.
She said the infection had "wrought havoc" on her body but the hospital saved her arm with "extensive" surgery.
The hospital said it was "delighted to receive positive feedback".
Henley, who grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, played Lucy, the youngest of the four Pevensie children in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, between 2005 and 2008.
In 2013, she was in her sixth week at Cambridge University when she contracted what she described as "a rare and punishing infection that nearly claimed my life and wrought havoc throughout my body".
Necrotising fascilitis can occur if a wound gets infected and needs immediate hospital treatment, the NHS said.
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In an Instagram post, Henley said that, in order to prevent the amputation of her left hand and arm, she received "gruelling invasive surgery, and later extensive reconstructive surgery which resulted in a series of skin grafts and scars".
"I would like to thank Addenbrooke's hospital for their exceptional care," she said.
Henley added that while she had been "open" about her scars in her personal life, it was only now, nine years later, that she felt able to reveal her scars professionally.
"It has taken me a long time to heal both physically and mentally but I hoped that one day there would be the right time to talk about what happened... Today is a start," she said.
"The industry I am part of often focuses on a very narrow idea of what is deemed aesthetic "perfection", and I worried that my scars would prevent me from getting work."
She added that her scars were "not something to be ashamed of" and "do not affect my capacity as an actor".
"I'm proud to be a person who has visible scars in this industry," she said.
A spokesman for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust said: "While we cannot comment on individual cases, our dedicated staff are always delighted to receive positive feedback, especially when it is written so thoughtfully.
"Sometimes the path to recovery can be long, and takes great courage, but we are always here to support with that journey."
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