Get you up to speed: Mum’s bid to raise £400,000 for three-year-old’s life-saving surgery | News World
Hannah Silver has raised nearly £300,000 to fund life-saving surgery for her three-year-old son, Sebastian, after UK surgeons stated they could do no more for his multiple heart conditions. Sebastian, who has been treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital, suffered a major cardiac arrest following surgery but survived due to immediate medical intervention.
Hannah Silver has raised £269,384 through a GoFundMe campaign launched on September 24, leaving her with £130,000 still needed for her son Sebastian’s surgery in Boston. Great Ormond Street Hospital has indicated that further surgical options for Sebastian are limited due to the risk involved after his previous cardiac complications.
Hannah Silver’s GoFundMe campaign has raised £269,384 towards her £400,000 target to fund life-saving surgery for her son Sebastian, drawing an overwhelming response from the public since its launch on September 24. As she continues to seek the remaining £130,000, she emphasised her urgent need for support, stating, “I now need to rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers.”
What remains unclear — It is uncertain what will happen if Sebastian does not survive the proposed treatment in the US.
Mother raises nearly £300,000 for son’s life-saving surgery in the US
Hannah Silver has raised almost three-quarters of the money she needs (Picture: Hannah Silver)
A single mum-of-two has raised nearly £300,000 after launching a ‘desperate plea’ to fund life-saving surgery for her three-year-old son.
Hannah Silver is hoping to raise £400,000 for surgery, accommodation and recovery costs for her son, Sebastian, in the US after UK surgeons told her they had exhausted all options for his extremely rare combination of four heart conditions.
Hannah, 42, told WTX: ‘When they told me my son was dying, my heart, body and soul all shattered at the same time.
‘I fell to the floor and couldn’t move. I thought I was going to have to bury my child.’
Since birth, Sebastian has been in and out of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) due to a combination of criss-cross heart, Congenital Corrected Transposition of the Great Arteries (ccTGA), heart holes and Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
His time at GOSH ended with the three-year-old suffering a major cardiac arrest following an attempt to treat the conditions. He only survived because his chest was still open after surgery.
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Hannah pictured with Sebastian, three, and her daughter Sidney, five (Picture: Hannah Silver)
Hannah pictured with Sebastian (Picture: Hannah Silver)
Hannah said: ‘By the grace of god, they had a row of doctors literally pumping his heart inside his chest.
‘A lot of that is a blur. To this day, they don’t know what happened. That makes them cautious with Sebastian because he’s already had a heart failure. His heart couldn’t cope without a machine.’
After that, there were only two options: ‘let nature take its course’ or reverse the surgery.
For his mother it was a no-brainer, and after going 90 minutes without oxygen to the brain, he survived.
The surgeons at GOSH are cautious about further surgery as Sebastian’s survival has been considered a ‘miracle’.
Hannah said: ‘He’s already had one miracle. I think he can have one more.’
Hannah hopes Sebastian can have ‘one more’ miracle (Picture: Hannah Silver)
She now hopes to raise the remaining £130,000 needed to access life-changing treatment in Boston.
‘I’m trying to do everything I can,’ she told WTX. ‘I’m in every single Facebook group that I can.
‘I’ve tried to sell my flat for two years for this, but I haven’t been able to. I’ve exhausted my own communities; I now need to rely on the kindness and generosity of strangers.’
The fast response to the GoFundMe fundraiser has overwhelmed Hannah, raising £269,384 of the £400,000 needed since it was launched on September 24.
She said: ‘I was in tears. I just wanted to cry. People’s reaction to it was just amazing.’
Since Sebastian’s birth, life has been on hold for Hannah and her daughter, Sidney.
Hannah says she ‘doesn’t really have the luxury’ of giving up (Picture: Hannah Silver)
Hannah added: ‘You stop thinking and feeling. I need to keep my kid alive. I also have another kid to think of; I don’t really have the luxury to not keep going.’
The situation can be especially difficult for five-year-old Sidney, who cannot fully understand what is going on.
Hannah said: ‘She’s spent the last three years taking a back seat. My kids don’t know any different. Sidney sometimes says, “Let’s not buy any more squishies because we need to save money to save Sebastian.”’
Following the reversal surgery, they have managed to have one almost normal summer.
She said: ‘We went on a Disney Cruise. We’ve never got to be a family and relax. I wanted some family memories where I’m not stressed out, working or trying to take care of the kids.’
Despite the success of reversal surgery, even a more permanent fix across the pond may not work out the way Hannah hopes.
She told WTX: ‘What happens if he doesn’t make it and I’ve got to fly him home? You really have to face your worst nightmares, and it’s really crippling.’
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