A CHILD from Wareham is set to undergo a very rare operation next week, which will be the ninth of the two-year-old’s life, and a GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family during this terrible time.

Ivor Jeffery was born in October 2017 by emergency caesarean due to complications with his heart. Ten days after being released from hospital, his breathing became strange and his parents, Robert and Toni-Lee Jeffery took him to Poole hospital.

He spent the first few months of his life in Southampton Hospital in intensive care before being transferred to Great Ormond Street for specialist care.

Ivor has since had multiple operations to try to open his aorta and the blood vessels that supply his kidneys. He also developed a large haematoma in his leg caused by a cannula which was left in too long.

He unfortunately lost a kidney before he even turned one. His second kidney has very little blood supply and as a result his blood pressure is extremely high.

On December 3, Ivor is undergoing another operation at Great Ormond Street to attempt an aortic bypass and relocate his kidney in the hope of improving the blood flow, potentially saving the kidney for a little longer.

Ivor’s dad, Robert, said: “What Ivor has got is so rare, there are no textbooks to follow. His operation he is going for next week, the surgeon has never done it on a child his age before.

“The problem will never be fixed. He will need transplants and dialysis in the future. This operation will hopefully hold that off.

“The strength Ivor has got is incredible. When people meet Ivor, they expect him to appear disabled. I don’t think people realise he has got as many problems as he does. He’s just like any other two-year-old boy.”

Ivor is an only child and Robert said he and Toni-Lee want to have more children but can’t because of their commitments with Ivor.

The GoFundMe page was set up to help the family cope with travel and accommodation for Ivor’s hospital visits, and to enable the family to create as many memories as they can.

In just over a week the page has raised over £1300 of a £5000 target.

Robert continued: “It helps us create memories with Ivor. We can’t go abroad necessarily but we can have days out.

“It is incredible to know that there is that many people out there helping Ivor and that have read his story.

“Because we have not met any other parents that have gone through the same thing it is hard to put across what it is like, there is nobody to talk to about it.”

To find out more about their story, or to donate, visit the GoFundMe website and search “Ivor’s Story.”