Southwick couple 'completely overwhelmed' by the thousands raised after their baby son's emergency heart surgery
Nearly £4,000 has been raised for a Southwick couple after their four-month-old son was rushed to London for emergency heart surgery.
Otto Delavari was born in April with a rare congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot, but is now recovering at home after successful surgery at Evelina London Children's Hospital.
Parents Holli and Ollie Delavari say they will 'never forget how much love and support has been shown' after a £3,830 was raised on GoFundMe to support the family.
Hannah Sharman, Holli's sister, set up the fundraiser at www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-holli-ollie-otto with a £2,000 target to help ease the financial pressure during Otto's recovery.
Holli and Ollie said: “When we first heard that a GoFundMe had been set up for us, we genuinely had no idea what to expect. We certainly never imagined it would grow to the extent that it has. To see the generosity, kindness and support from so many people has honestly left us completely overwhelmed.
“We both want to say a massive thank you to every single person who has donated, shared the fundraiser, sent us a message, checked in on us, or simply kept Otto in their thoughts. We’re incredibly grateful to every one of you.”
The couple had been preparing for Otto's heart surgery since he was born but it came sooner than expected when his oxygen levels suddenly dropped dangerously low.
Hannah said: “The doctors felt it was no longer safe for him to wait, and he was admitted to Evelina London Children’s Hospital for his operation.”
The surgery was successful and Otto was allowed home after a period of recovery in hospital.
Holli and Ollie said: “After everything he’s been through, we honestly couldn’t be happier to have our little boy back home with us. He’s recovering really well and has bounced back to his content happy little self so quickly. He’s already showing us just how much of a little fighter he is.
“The generosity has meant so much more than just the financial support. It has given us the ability to put everything else to one side and focus completely on Otto while he was in hospital, without having to worry as much about the everyday pressures that were still going on around us.
“Now that we’re home, it’s also allowed us to have a little bit of downtime together as a family and just breathe after what has been an incredibly intense few weeks.
“We’re still taking things one day at a time and letting Otto recover at his own pace, but having him home is something we’re so incredibly thankful for. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. We’ll never forget how much love and support has been shown to our little family.”
Hannah said with Holli still on maternity leave and Ollie being self-employed and unable to work, she set up the GoFundMe 'simply to take away some of the financial pressure while they focus on Otto'.
She added: “Thank you to everyone who has already checked in, sent messages, donated or simply kept Otto in your thoughts. It really does mean the world.”