Thank you for the huge generosity of all the kind people who have donated to my cause and sent me good wishes and messages. We have now managed to source the funds we require and have now closed the donations. I am so grateful for your support and when I have recovered, I will do everything I can to match the funds raised for me to donate to other families / charities who may need some help.

Hi, my name is ILAN and I’m a 16 year old actor and artist. I suffer from scoliosis, and it has now reached a point where I’m in urgent need of surgery. I have two curves in my spine, the largest of which is currently 48° and getting progressively worse. It should be 0°.

I’ve been acting professionally since I was eight years old. I’ve appeared in many West End shows, including Matilda, Les Miserables and Oliver. In television, my most notable role was playing Brian in BBC and Amazon Prime’s ‘Good Omens.’ Unfortunately, I receive a lot of back pain due to my scoliosis and this is really limiting my ability to carry on acting.

Here is my most recent spinal  X-Ray.

There is however an operation which I can have which will straighten my spine and alleviate the pain. This operation is called Vertebral Body Tethering. VBT is different to the standard NHS Fusion procedure, because instead of placing a metal rod in my back limiting my movement, VBT uses a flexible cord down the spine which will allow me to continue to move freely in the future. It’s a keyhole surgery which means that it’s less invasive and the recovery is a lot quicker. Having this procedure will allow me to continue with my life like I did before scoliosis took over.

Unfortunately, this procedure is not available on the NHS, however, I am able to have VBT at a specialist hospital in Istanbul, Turkey.

I need to have this procedure as soon as possible as the curve is getting more severe.

Any contribution which you can make would be so gratefully appreciated. I’ve set up this JustGiving page where you can donate if you are able to. Also, please share my story and JustGiving page with your friends and family. I need to reach as many people as possible.

Thank you for the help. I appreciate it so much.

ILAN :)