Mother Seeks £3 Million for Life-Saving Surgery for Baby Ollie

A young mother from Wrexham is raising urgent funds to secure life-saving surgery for her baby, Ollie, who has been diagnosed with a rare heart condition. Jasmin Roberts, 24, has been informed by three hospitals in the UK that they can only provide palliative care, leaving her desperate for alternative options.

The diagnosis came unexpectedly when Ollie, just two weeks old, was screened for jaundice. Initial tests revealed a serious heart issue known as pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (PA-VSD MAPCAs). “Everything happened so fast after that,” Jasmin recalled. “One minute, there was just a nurse in the room, the next, a whole team of doctors appeared and rushed him down to the PICU.”

Jasmin described her emotional turmoil following Ollie’s diagnosis. Having experienced a difficult labor that led to a fourth-degree tear and emergency surgery, she faced the added burden of learning that her son’s condition was life-limiting without surgical intervention. “The diagnosis broke me,” she said, expressing feelings of guilt and despair. “It tipped my whole world upside down.”

Ollie’s condition requires specialized treatment that is not available in the UK. Fortunately, Stanford Children’s Hospital in California has accepted him for surgery, which could significantly improve his prospects. “The surgeon who would operate on him, Dr. Hanley, is the same man who pioneered the surgery that could save Ollie’s life,” Jasmin noted.

Despite receiving palliative care options from local hospitals, Jasmin refused to accept the prognosis. She conducted extensive research and reached out to Stanford, submitting over 4,000 images and Ollie’s medical history to the hospital’s international team. “If I hadn’t done that, we would still be on a ‘there’s nothing we can do’ pathway. That thought haunts me every day,” she said.

The cost of treatment at Stanford is estimated to exceed £3 million, a staggering amount that Jasmin cannot afford on her own. To address this financial barrier, she has launched a fundraising campaign, appealing for donations to help save her son’s life. “This isn’t about giving him a nicer life. It’s about giving him one at all,” she emphasized.

Jasmin’s plea for support resonates deeply as she recounts her journey through motherhood, which has been marked by trauma and the overwhelming fear of losing her child. “I would ask people to give anything they can to save my baby’s life,” she stated. “Every single donation gets us one step closer to the surgery that could give Ollie a future.”

She invites individuals to contribute, no matter how small the amount, explaining that every donation can make a significant difference in their fight for his life. “Ollie is my best friend in the whole world. He’s everything to me,” she said, highlighting the profound bond they share.

Jasmin’s experience underscores the emotional and psychological challenges faced by parents in similar situations. “I wish people could see Ollie the way I do, not as a rare case, or a tragic story, but as a little boy who deserves to live a long, happy life,” she concluded.

To support Jasmin and Ollie’s journey, donations can be made through their fundraising page: https://gofund.me/d81583780.