A three-year-old lad born with his organs outside his abdomen will undergo life-saving surgery after a chance meeting with an English couple.
Ethan Suglo, who is from Ghana, suffers from exomphalos, which means his organs are outside his abdomen.
Last year his father, Charles, met doctors David and Jacquie Williams when they were visiting Ghana, the BBC has reported.
Image Credit : Ethan's Lifesaving Surgery
Dr Williams was asked to examine Ethan and, within a year, he and his wife Jacquie helped to raise around £51,000 so they could fly the toddler to the UK for surgery.
Dr Williams told the Mirror: "I was asked when I went out, because I'm a doctor, just to have a look at Ethan.
"So I went thinking I'd see a little African boy with a swollen tummy... malnutrition and worms, and when I got there I was just shocked by what I saw.
"I'd never seen it before, certainly not in a two-year-old. I don't think I'd ever seen it in my career, I've been a doctor 20 or 30 years and I'd never seen this case.
"I wasn't sure at that time what would be involved, but I did look Charles in the eye and said I'd do what I could to help."
He then contacted professors and surgeons in England, with a paediatric surgeon at the John Radcliffe Hospital saying he could do the operation.
Image Credit : Ethan's Lifesaving Surgery
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He was told that £25,000 had to be raised for the little lad, so a fundraising campaign was launched in March to cover the cost of the operation, flights and additional costs.
But they managed to raise a whopping £51,000 through cake sales and half marathons, and also received help from charity Willing and Abel.
The extra money will now be used to help other children in need of surgery.
What a cracking effort, good on you and I hope the little lad has a speedy recovery!
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Words by James Dawson
Featured Image Credit : Ethan's Lifesaving Surgery
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