A mum is in a desperate race to save her son’s life – needing to fundraise £1.5 million to access treatment that the NHS can’t offer.
At just one, little Ollie Williams has been through more than most will in a lifetime.
After a routine jaundice screening flagged strange results, he was diagnosed with a rare and complex congenital heart defect, causing a trio of serious issues that block his blood from being properly oxygenated.
The tot has spent much of the first year of his life in and out of hospital, but three hospitals in the UK and several more across Europe had delivered the same heartbreaking message: there is nothing more we can do.
But a children’s hospital in California had reviewed Ollie’s case and given mum Jasmin Roberts, 24, hope – if they can raise enough money to get him there.
Incredibly, the fundraiser has reached just shy of £1.4 million – with A-lister Ryan Reynolds getting involved and donating £10,000.
“To say it has been torture is an understatement,” Jasmin, who works in customer support for a bank, told Need To Know of the day Ollie received the diagnosis.
“I was barely 23, physically recovering from a traumatic birth, and the one lifeline I had left was my baby.
“Suddenly, even that was being stripped away from me.
“He was so tiny in the hospital bed, and attached to so many wires that I couldn’t pick him up.
“I was confused and terrified.
“My entire world shifted in the space of seconds.”
Ollie, from Wrexham, Wales, was diagnosed with Pulmonary atresia with ventricular septal defect and major aortopulmonary collateral arteries (PA/VSD/MAPCAs) in September 2024, after a hospital check-up flagged his oxygen saturation levels were dangerously low.
The diagnosis came about incidentally, as the tot had been there due to prolonged jaundice, with no concerns beforehand about his arteries.
The defect means there are three major issues at play: a blocked pulmonary valve, a hole between the heart’s lower chambers, and abnormal arteries that supply blood to the lungs.
The family has been told that the only option in the UK is palliative care, making him comfortable for the remainder of his life.
Jasmin said: “Doctors say we should take it ‘month by month’ and refuse to comment on his life expectancy, as they say it would be unhelpful.
“It makes me feel completely powerless seeing Ollie in and out of the hospital, with doctors and nurses prodding at my tiny baby.
“All I want to do is wrap him up and keep him safe, like any mum would.
“Being in the hospital is absolutely exhausting; we’re always on edge, and it fills me with incredible guilt.
“I want to give my baby the world, and some days it feels like I can’t.
“The pathway he is on is palliative – which means the NHS aren’t proceeding with surgery.”
Jasmin was told in June this year that Ollie was being moved to palliative care after a CT scan.
She said: “It was horrific – we had no preparation for it.
“Ollie was asleep in the cot bed, and his cardiologist just came in and told us he was introducing the palliative care team.
“My mental health – I have postpartum depression – was getting better before that point, but after hearing the news, I could hardly get out of bed.
“As his mum, I can’t and won’t accept that as his only future.
“It is only the hope that Stanford would take Ollie on that kept me going.”
If they are able to go, Stanford Children’s Hospital will begin with a pulmonary artery reconstruction – the most urgent step, as Ollie’s lung arteries are currently underdeveloped, making repair surgery impossible.
The first surgery will improve blood flow to his lungs, helping his arteries grow strong enough in the months that follow.
From there, Ollie will be ready for the full repair, which involves reconstructing the connection between the heart and lungs by gathering and connecting multiple collateral arteries into a single, unified pulmonary artery, and closing the hole in Ollie’s heart – which will likely be able to take place in the UK.
But the crucial first stage of the treatment is impossible in the UK, with the NHS not having the expertise required.
As well as online efforts, Jasmin’s local community has also been helping, with raffles, music events, cake sales and more in the works to try and raise the much-needed funds.
The fundraiser has raised nearly £1.4 million so far, and his mum remains hopeful that – with enough support – they can reach the target of £1.5 million, which the hospital has quoted them for treatment, recovery and aftercare.
She said: “It’s an unimaginable figure for any parent.
“We can’t do this alone, but with help, we just might be able to.
“Every single donation – no matter how small – takes us one step closer to giving Ollie a future.
“I am so incredibly grateful that people care enough to help save his life.
“It’s only a small amount of what we need so far, but it no longer feels like we’re doing this alone.
“This is Ollie’s chance not just to have a childhood, but to grow up – to live the full, bright life he deserves.
“He is the cheekiest and funniest baby you’ll ever meet, and the strongest person I’ve ever known.
“He has been through so much, but when he looks at you and grins, you would have no idea.
“He’s my best friend and absolute world – there’s nowhere I don’t go without him, and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for him.”
