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Isle Of Wight Family's Plea To Help "Brave" Son Get Urgent Operation

An Isle of Wight family is "desperately" appealing for help to raise funds for their son, who is in need of urgent operations.

Charlotte Palmer says her son Joey, 3, is in pain everyday and "it is heart breaking knowing there is nothing else you can do".

Joey, who has brain damage and severe global developmental delay, has recently been diagnosed with glue ear.

Glue ear is when the middle part of your ear fills with fluid. It can cause significant discomfort and in Joey's case, has left him in "tremendous pain".

He needs an urgent grommet operation, but his mum Charlotte and dad Barrie, from Lake, say due to the pandemic they cannot get an appointment.

This has led to her seeking help from a private consultant at Great Ormond Street Hospital, who has confirmed that Joey also needs his tonsils removed.

She said:

"We were told by this consultant that in fact Joey's glue ear is so severe that his eardrums are bulging and on the verge of perforating again and on further investigation that also his tonsils are scarred from past tonsillitis infections that have never been detected before now."

Joey, who is non-verbal, also has left sided hypotonia, non-epileptic seizures, also has problems with his sight, feeding and sleep.

Charlotte added:

"This consultant has informed us that Joey needs an urgent grommet operation to stop the reoccurring middle ear infections but also, he will need his tonsils and adenoids removed as well to help aid his problems in the hope that his hearing, sleeping and feeding problems will improve dramatically, meaning his tonsils will no longer block his airways which will help towards his feeding and drinking problems that he has had since birth.

"The adenoids being removed will solve the problem of his sleep apnoea and of course the grommets will allow the eardrums not to fill with fluid anymore, which causes the middle ear infections."

Charlotte and Barrie say they have been given a date for the operation to take place privately.

However, it will cost £7,000. They say any donations will be hugely appreciated.

You can read Joey's story - and donate - here.

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