Six-year-old who’s had 30 operations needs £40,000 for life-changing treatment to help him walk

October 14, 2016

Ollie Jenkins was born 3 months premature and spent months in hospital
He has had both heart and bowel surgery and 30 procedures on his throat
But his family say the schoolboy’s biggest disability is his cerebral palsy
It causes him uncontrollable spasms in his legs and unable to walk unaided
His family want surgeons to cut the nerves in his spine causing spasms
But the life-changing surgery isn’t routinely available on the NHS in Wales

Stephen Matthews For Mailonline

Published:
05:50 EST, 14 October 2016

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Updated:
05:50 EST, 14 October 2016

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He’s had a major heart operation, bowel surgery and more than 30 procedures on his throat – and he’s only six years old.

But brave Ollie Jenkins is still able to bring a smile to the face of anyone he meets.

However, his family say the schoolboy’s biggest disability is his cerebral palsy – which affects his nerves and spinal cord.

It causes him uncontrollable spasms in his legs and leaves him unable to walk.

Now, they are attempting to raise £40,000 so he can undergo a life-changing operation to prevent him from becoming reliant on a wheelchair.

Ollie Jenkins, from Cardiff, was born with cerebral palsy. It causes spasms in his legs and leaves him unable to walk

His grandfather Richard Jenkins, from Cardiff, says it’s amazing Ollie has managed to survive so many different conditions.

He said: ‘Ollie puts a lot of us to shame. He nearly always has a smile on his face.

‘Once you’ve met him you will definitely remember him. Even though he cannot talk to you, he makes you aware that he’s around.

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‘The care Ollie needs is 24/7, and when he gets a cold it’s a major problem for him.

‘I’m very proud of my son and daughter-in-law for just getting on with their lives and being so strong.’

Ollie was born three months prematurely and spent the first few months of his life in hospital.

His family relocated to Winchester – 120 miles away – to be closer to a specialist hospital. Now, they are attempting to raise £40,000 so he can undergo surgery to prevent him from becoming reliant on a wheelchair when he grows older (pictured with mother Cara)

Ollie was born three months prematurely and spent the first few months of his life in hospital. He immediately began experiencing breathing problems and was placed in an incubator

Within weeks he was given a tracheotomy and has since had more than 30 procedures on his throat. He has also had laser eye surgery, a heart operation and bowel surgery

He immediately began experiencing breathing problems and was placed in an incubator.

Within weeks he was given a tracheotomy – a surgical procedure that opens up the windpipe.

WHAT WILL THE OPERATION DO?

Selective dorsal rhizotomy is a neurosurgical technique used to treat spasticity (increased muscle tone) in the lower limbs.

The lower vertebrae are opened to reveal the spinal cord which contain the neurones of the central nervous system.

These neurones (bundles of nerve fibres) channel messages between the brain and different areas of the body.

Electrical stimulation is used to identify and sub-divide sensory and motor nerves.

This process continues until the specific nerves and nerve roots affecting the spastic muscles and which may not be ‘transmitting’ properly are identified and cut.

Due to the size of the nerves and rootlets, this is a very precise procedure and therefore the surgery can last several hours and requires a general anaesthetic.

Many months of physiotherapy are needed after the surgery to retrain the legs.

Source: SCOPE

He has also had laser eye surgery to rectify a problem at the back of his eye.

While a heart operation stopped a leaky valve and he underwent bowel surgery because doctors thought he had a damaged intestine.

But his family say his biggest disability is his cerebral palsy which affects his nerves and spinal cord.

It means he is unable to walk unaided and will probably become reliant on a wheelchair by the age of 15.

Ollie’s parents, Paul and Cara, have had to relocate to Winchester – 120 miles away – to be closer to specialist hospital support.

They say their son needs a selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) operation to greatly improve his way of life.

The procedure involves testing the nerves along her spine and cutting the ones causing spasticity in the muscles.

At present it is not routinely funded on the NHS in Wales, so the family are raising £40,000 for the treatment and the physiotherapy he will need afterwards.

Ollie has already seen a specialist in Bristol who thinks that this operation will benefit his mobility and improve his life.

The family have set up a JustGiving page called Ollie’s Next Step in conjunction with the Blossom Development Trust, a charity for children and young people with special needs.

They have already raised more than £7,500 – but far more is still needed.