A family in Somerset is raising money to cover the cost of their infant daughter's surgery on a private basis due to a hospital wait that might impair her development.
Pierre Robin Sequence, a rare disease, was discovered in Tilly Irish at birth in August 2022.
Since her birth, she has been in line for cleft palate repair surgery at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
The hospital has reviewed the service and apologized to patients, according to a hospital spokesman. ".
The procedure would enable Tilly to swallow normally as well as enhance the development of her hearing and speech, according to her father Lloyd, a football player for Taunton Town.
Although the family said she will need to wait until she is at least 19 months old before an NHS surgery can be scheduled at the hospital, NHS guidelines state that the surgery should be performed before 13 months of age.
Tilly's cleft palate prevents her from eating properly; the majority of the food she attempts to eat comes out of her nose, according to Mr. Irish.
We want her to lead a normal life because she is "a right character, a little bruiser! She's very fun, always laughing and smiling and she's just an amazing little child," he continued.
At Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, the regional center for the south west, delays in cleft palate treatment resulted in "harm" to more than 100 children, according to an NHS review released earlier this year.
University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust's Stuart Walker, chief medical officer, said: "I would like to express my sincere regret.
"We don't want anyone in our care to go through this, and we're committed to doing everything we can to support them as they continue their treatment. We've already made a number of service improvements. ".
Tilly's caretakers on the NHS have all been excellent, but Mr. Irish noted that she is falling behind in some developmental milestones.
"To be completely honest, we weren't prepared for the response we received when we reached out to the public; it has been incredibly overwhelming and has assisted us in our quest to get Tilly the care she needs. ".
Over £14,000 has already been raised on a crowdfunding page the family set up, and Taunton Town FC has tweeted its support.
