Mum raises £1m towards son's US heart operation

Jasmin says Ollie's story has touched people's hearts around the world

At two weeks' old, baby Ollie's family were given the devastating news that he had a complex heart condition that could not be treated in the UK.

The life-saving operation he needed would have to be carried out at Stanford Children's Hospital in California, at a cost of £1.5m.

Mum Jasmin Roberts, 24, from Wrexham, immediately set about fundraising - and Ollie's plight caught the attention of Ryan Reynolds who donated £10,000 after it was sent to him by the wife of Wrexham goalkeeper Callum Burton.

Jasmin has been "amazed" by the kindness of strangers, which also includes a £110,000 donation from Scottish author Leigh Rivers.

Thousands of donations have been received so far between the GoFundMe and Ollie's One Pound Army, and the family is more than two-thirds of the way to reaching the target.

Jasmin said Ollie has a hole in his heart, and his arteries are also too small.

The bigger he gets, the more pressure his body will put on his heart, and Jasmin wants the operation to be carried out "as soon as possible".

"The slow deterioration will happen, but there's also the possibility of him catching an infection, or pneumonia or something and his body won't be able to handle it," she said.

Ryan Reynolds made a donation after the wife of Wrexham goalkeeper Callum Burton spotted Ollie's appeal on social media

Jasmin said it was a "coincidence" that Ollie was diagnosed at two weeks old as he went for a check-over after having prolonged jaundice.

A screening that measured his blood oxygen saturation levels saw him rushed to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit as they were at only 85%.

Jasmin said: "I'd had one of the roughest births you can imagine, I was still physically recovering and I'd thought 'oh well, at least I have my baby'.

"The next day they found he had a rare heart condition," she said. "It was the worst time of my life."

Initially she said she was told Ollie would be okay without surgeries but then at 10 months old, the family were told they would be "lucky" if he lived until he was two.

The NHS said they could not operate on Ollie because of the complexities of his condition, and could only offer him end-of-life care.

"I remember dropping to the floor in fits of tears," Jasmin said. "I fell into really bad depression and I already had postnatal depression."

Jasmin was on the support page for parents of children with heart conditions when she discovered that Dr Frank Hanley - the man who invented the particular surgery Ollie needed - worked at Stanford and she applied for the operation.

"We found out on Ollie's birthday that they said yes and I instantly started up the fundraiser," she said.

Jasmin said Stanford told her that once she has raised 75% of the money needed, of a total of £1.5m, she could start making arrangements for Ollie's surgery, as well as organising visas and flights.

Jasmin has also put her house on the market and moved back in with her mum and four siblings.

"It's busy, but lovely to have their support. I'm lucky," she said. "I don't care what the sacrifice is, I would do anything... when it's saving my son's life."

"To me a house is just bricks and if my baby is not in it, there is absolutely no point," she said.

Ollie's condition means his arteries are too small and he also has a hole in his heart

Jasmin said the surgery, which will reconstruct Ollie's pulmonary arteries, could take as long as 12 hours, with a three-month recovery time.

The second stage of the procedure can be done in the UK, six months after the initial operation.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast on Wednesday, Jasmin said: "I do get down, it can't always be completely optimistic.

"I am terrified that we just won't get him there," she said. "I just channel everything, all the stress, all the fear, all the hope into fundraising for him to save his life."

Jasmin says Ollie is "cheeky" and full of fun but as he grows she says the strain on his heart will increase

She said she has been "grateful" for the "overwhelming" response from people.

"I feel like people love him almost as much as I do... it's just amazing the support he's had. I think because I've been so raw and so real about it, it's got people's attention," she said.