The parents of a tot with a rare condition which left him profoundly deaf have spoken of their relief after he underwent pioneering surgery in Italy.
Jemma and Ben Bosch’s son Oliver (one) is the only child in Scotland with Goldenhar syndrome, a condition affecting one in 500,000.
He has no auditory nerves and his only hope for hearing was to undergo a revolutionary new procedure called auditory brain stem implant (ABI).
The operation was carried out by a leading surgeon at the University of Verona Hospital. Jemma and Ben took to Facebook to update supporters over the course of the dramatic day.
There was tension during the operation, with Oliver’s parents appealing to supporters to keep him in their prayers.
They said: “Right everybody, that’s the little man in theatre. Please keep praying for his safe return and speedy recovery.”
Shortly after the successful surgery, Jemma and Ben spoke of their relief.
They said: “Doctor Carner has just been to tell us that surgery went well and all of Oliver’s 12 electrodes are working.
“He’s still in theatre having his skull put back together and closed up but we hope to have him back with us in ICU about 3pm. Relieved is not the word.”
They also posted a picture of the tot in intensive care with the caption: “Our brave little boy”.
Hundreds of well-wishers added messages of congratulations to the Facebook page.
Many of them contributed to a £60,000 fundraising drive launched in the summer to pay for the operation. The appeal smashed its target thanks to a £30,000 cash boost from a mystery donor.
Jemma told The Courier: “It’s absolutely fantastic. This money means we are covered for the operation and for the next year of fine tuning for the device.
“When we were told about the new donation, it was amazing, although it wasn’t out of the blue. It was something we had pursued ourselves, but for the people to come back and give us that amount of money was great.
“We had asked for £15,000 because that was how much we were off our target for the actual surgery. When they came back and said they would give us £30,000 it was this total sense of relief.
“It meant that we had nothing to worry about fundraising for the next wee while.”
She also thanked those who gave smaller amounts, adding: “It’s the small donations that have got us to where we are now.”
Oliver’s implant will have no wires or batteries attached, making it much easier for him and his family to lead a normal life.
However, he will need specialist audio therapy on his return to Scotland, so the fundraising appeal will continue.
Ben said: “We know we’ve been very very fortunate in the amount we have raised so far but we still have to pay for mapping in Italy for the next year and audio verbal therapy.
Jemma added: “We will have to fly to Italy six times over the next year and it will cost us £3,000 a time.”
To donate, visit justgiving.com/theoliverboschappeal.