A DETERMINED father born and raised in Malvern is hoping to raise £120,000 for a life-changing operation which could dramatically improve his disabled daughter’s life.
Jason Haffield, 30, feared for his daughter’s Isla’s life after doctors told him she had a major bleed within hours of being born.
Luckily Isla, who was born 12 weeks prematurely, survived but suffered brain damage in the process which has left her unable to sit, crawl or even walk without aid.
Jason, a former pupil at The Chase School, is raising money to fund his daughter, now three-years-old, a Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) operation which would take place at St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, USA.
So far, he has raised more than £11,000 for Tree of Hope – a charity which helps manage funds for medical treatment, therapy and equipment for sick and disabled children – through the Isla’s Walking Dream campaign and told the Observer funding the operation would mean the world to him.
“It would mean everything to me if we managed to raise the funds for my daughter to have the SDR,” he said.
“Isla finds it really frustrating that she cannot play with her peers and hates the fact she is so restricted.
“She is desperate to get walking and pushing to do things doctors said she’d never be able to do.”
Jason added the SDR procedure would greatly improve Isla’s condition as her regular pain and stiffness would be eased and after a period of time she would have a lot more control over her movement with the help of a three-year physiotherapy plan that follows the operation.
At least £60,000 is needed for the operation itself, £45,000 will cover the cost of physiotherapy and travel, along with £4,500 to pay for equipment such as disability bikes.
Jason has plenty of fund-raising events planned in Malvern and across the UK to reach the desired target.
He said: “We have organised a hills walk in Malvern later in the year which we are really looking to and we are currently in the process of planning more fundraisers across the area for the not too distant future.
“There are also discos that we will be hosting to raise the cash but we are also asking for people to donate using our text code.”
If Jason exceeds the target he requires, or if enough funds are not raised for the operation, all money donated will be go to the general funds of Tree of Hope to assist other sick children.
Anyone who would like to help Jason regarding the cause can email him at [email protected] or on Twitter @iwdhaffield.
Donations to Isla’s Walking Dream can be made by texting IWHD99 (£amount) to 70070 or visit https://www.justgiving.com/islaswalkingdream/.
