What does a 10 year old choose to do to raise funds for a charity close to the heart of himself and his family? He chooses to bounce. And in the case of fabulous Ollie Holt he bounces for a long time.
Our fantastic Ollie Holt will be completing a three-hour Bounceathon to raise both funds and awareness for Cavernoma Alliance UK (CAUK) with the support of his local indoor trampoline park, Ryze Dundee.
Ollie, has decided to give something back to a charity that has provided him and his family as a whole so much support since he was diagnosed with multiple Cavernoma just before his third birthday.
His mother Emma provides more information on his story.
“Just before Ollie’s third birthday we found him in bed having a seizure. He was rushed to hospital where doctors discovered he had suffered a stroke. Ollie woke paralysed down his left side and we feared the worst. After several scans Ollie was transferred to Edinburgh Sick Kids and was diagnosed with multiple Cavernoma (irregular blood vessels in his brain), one of which had bled causing his stroke. We were left with a decision to make on whether or not Ollie should have brain surgery to remove his symptomatic Cavernoma. The consequences of both having surgery or a watch and wait approach could have been devastating.”
She continues
“We knew nothing about Cavernoma and most medical professionals had limited or no knowledge of the condition. We searched the internet looking for information and found Cavernoma Alliance UK (CAUK). CAUK provided us with information, support and the details of an experienced surgeon who could give us a second opinion on Ollies treatment.”
Ollie did have surgery to remove his troublesome Cavernoma just before his 5th birthday and has recovered well from surgery. However, the family know that he has more Cavernoma that may cause problems at anytime and live with uncertainly as many in our charity do so. The family are so thankful for the continued ongoing support they receive from CAUK and this is why Ollie is “BOUNCING”
Unfortunately although Ollie recovered well from his surgery his does have frontal lobe injury as a result of the bleed and Emma states that “he often feels different from other children and has difficulty understanding his condition and the limitations it has on his daily life”. To the family this makes the support received from CAUK where they have been introduced to other families and children in such situations invaluable to both them as parents and for Ollie who has met children like himself.
The family have set up a JustGiving page to support the fundraising effort and this can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/emma-holt20
Your details are safe and secure with JustGiving and it is a quick way to donate. Please help Ollie BOUNCE HIS WAY TO HIS FUNDRAISING TARGET.