A 13-year-old boy needs an operation on his caved-in chest and his family is appealing for help to raise the £16,000 needed to pay for it.
Oscar Branston-Tilley’s operation to fit a bar under his rib cage will not be funded through the NHS so his family needs to find the money.
The Cromer Academy pupil, from Northrepps, suffers from pectus excavatum, which is a hereditary condition, and his younger brother Blake, 10, is also showing signs of a chest deformity.
The operation is likely to take place next summer so that Oscar, who struggles with breathing because of the condition, can have one more year of growth.
His mother Jodie Branston-Tilley said: “We are hoping to raise as much as we can towards his treatment as we just can’t do it on our own.
“Oscar is a lovely young man who is already self-conscious of his body because of the deformity and we are worried it will leave lasting mental health issues if he doesn’t have the operation.
“Please help if you can, We will be so very grateful.”
She noticed her son’s condition about 18 months ago.
She said: “His chest just did not look right. We took him to the doctor’s and he finally got to speak to a specialist.
“We were told that the operation was not available on the NHS, and I was gobsmacked.
“We then got in touch with the Pectus Clinic in London and spoke on video call to Ian Hunt, who will do the operation. He suggested we give it another year so Oscar can grow more.
“He will have to stay about five days in the clinic to have the bar put in. It will push his rib cage forward.”
Pectus excavatum is a condition in which a person’s breastbone is sunken into their chest. This produces a caved-in or sunken appearance of the chest. It can either be present at birth or develop after puberty. The deformities occur in about one of every 150-1,000 births.
The family also comprises father David, brother Flynn and sister Ellie.
If you can help the family, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/oscar039s-pectus-excavatum-operation
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