Updated on Dec 21st 2012 at 10:17 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you to Clare and john and everyone who supported olivers treatment and headstart4babies!!! xxx

Updated on Dec 21st 2012 at 10:16 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Claire and john and everyone who.helped!! amazing xxxxxxx

Updated on Dec 3rd 2012 at 8:02 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Sarah xxx

Updated on Nov 30th 2012 at 11:53 AM from the JustGiving API

oliver is on day 4 of helmet therapy and is taking to it very well. we will be continuing to fundraise to help pay back the donation from headstart4babies to help another family in need. we can ALREADY see a difference! thank you to headstart4babies and everyone who has supported our efforts.

Updated on Nov 21st 2012 at 8:13 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you Ella xx

Updated on Nov 20th 2012 at 5:33 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you grandad! x

Updated on Nov 17th 2012 at 8:00 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you david xxx

Updated on Nov 16th 2012 at 10:03 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you auntie Marlene! xxx

Updated on Nov 13th 2012 at 9:52 AM from the JustGiving API

oliver has been diagnosed with very severe plagiocephaly, he will be getting fitted with his special blue bunnies helmet on November the 26th at 17 weeks old. thanks to headstart4babies for all their help in making this possible and the wonderful people at technology in motion Manchester xx

Updated on Nov 11th 2012 at 7:37 AM from the JustGiving API

£1,007.00 raised so far, thanks for all the support folks!

Updated on Nov 10th 2012 at 2:57 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Andrew! xx

Updated on Nov 10th 2012 at 12:21 PM from the JustGiving API

to whoever made the donation of 101.00, amazing, thank you xxx

Updated on Nov 10th 2012 at 11:36 AM from the JustGiving API

big thank you to every one of my family and friends for your massive support for oiver!! we just heard word from headstart4babies that they will be funding 1000.00 towards olivers treatment!! oliver is booked in this Monday to have his measurements taken. still more fundraising to follow to help this wonderful family help other babies in need! xxxx

Updated on Nov 10th 2012 at 9:32 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you grandad!! xx

Updated on Nov 9th 2012 at 8:58 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you heather! xxx

Updated on Nov 9th 2012 at 7:42 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Hannah!! xxx

Updated on Nov 9th 2012 at 1:30 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you auntie thomasena!! xxx

Updated on Nov 7th 2012 at 10:12 PM from the JustGiving API

more again from your mummy oliver, I wish I had more to give you it all. love you forever little man, almost half way there xxxxxxxxxx will always do my best for you.

Updated on Nov 6th 2012 at 10:51 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Sarah!! xxx

Updated on Nov 6th 2012 at 6:11 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you aunt Yvonne! xx

Updated on Nov 5th 2012 at 10:44 AM from the JustGiving API

736.00, another 12% to half way there

Updated on Nov 4th 2012 at 6:43 PM from the JustGiving API

721.00, amazing guys! thank you xx

Updated on Nov 4th 2012 at 6:20 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Nicole!! xxxx

Updated on Nov 2nd 2012 at 10:56 PM from the JustGiving API

£706.00. thanks guys xxx

Updated on Nov 2nd 2012 at 10:52 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Andy! xx

Updated on Nov 2nd 2012 at 10:44 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Malachy!! xx

Updated on Oct 29th 2012 at 1:20 PM from the JustGiving API

six hundred and fifty five, thank you nana smith x

Updated on Oct 28th 2012 at 9:42 PM from the JustGiving API

31% 600 so far still a long way to go though.

Updated on Oct 28th 2012 at 7:46 AM from the JustGiving API

575.00 raised so far.

Updated on Oct 28th 2012 at 7:06 AM from the JustGiving API

575.00 raised so far, thanks to recent donations by stu, Naomi, Phil and rosemary. thank you those who have helped :-)

Updated on Oct 27th 2012 at 5:55 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you stu Moore!

Updated on Oct 27th 2012 at 5:16 PM from the JustGiving API

29% ! :-)

Updated on Oct 26th 2012 at 3:36 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you to whoever donated 10.00 from phils class :-) and again to Phil for the support!

Updated on Oct 26th 2012 at 11:19 AM from the JustGiving API

555.00 raised, every little counts! money goes straight to headstart4babies the charity helping us and others. it does not go to myself, just to clarify! justgiving is safe and secure. if you are a UK tax payer gift aid will be given, we have raised an extra 150.00 in gift aid alone at present! thank you all. xx

Updated on Oct 25th 2012 at 7:35 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Kerry! xx

Updated on Oct 25th 2012 at 7:07 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Michael and Liz!

Updated on Oct 24th 2012 at 10:48 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you Naomi Ayres!

Updated on Oct 24th 2012 at 1:07 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you rosemary mcnichol!!

Updated on Oct 24th 2012 at 1:06 AM from the JustGiving API

a massive thank you to Phil Barnhill, for holding a powerFIT class tonight and for all who donated. the genorosity of people amazes me. you are all wonderful! Phil thank you so much for all your hard work!!! amazing! simply amazing.

Updated on Oct 23rd 2012 at 6:59 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Michael!!

Updated on Oct 20th 2012 at 8:21 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you alma!

Updated on Oct 20th 2012 at 2:15 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you dad, Jayne, Jim and Margaret xx

Updated on Oct 16th 2012 at 8:26 AM from the JustGiving API

thank you Christine xx

Updated on Oct 14th 2012 at 2:14 PM from the JustGiving API

thank you Andrew, Phil, Julie and Jenna Mark and Lucas for your support for Oliver. words cannot express how grateful we are! xxx

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

 

Our son, Oliver David Smith was born on the July 30th 2012 after a difficult delivery as his heart rate dropped alarmingly in the end stages of labour. From birth Oliver favoured lying with his head tilted and looking up towards the right. This, we later learned, was due to a condition called torticollis in which his neck muscles were tightened due to the trauma of his delivery.

When Oliver was two weeks old I started to notice flattening to the right side of his head and mentioned to our Health Visitor and Midwife, who both said the condition would correct itself in time. I was very concerned when at six weeks I noticed the flattening had become more pronounced and was starting to affect the side of his face. After researching online I realised that this condition was called positional plagiocephaly, which had been caused due to the torticollis, which was creating this abnormal moulding to his skull. The NHS will not fund treatment as they class it as a cosmetic issue, but along with future self esteem problems the misalignment can lead to sight problems, hearing problems and pain and jaw alignment and eating issues if the situation gets any worse.

Oliver began physiotherapy for his torticollis which it was hoped would help with his plagiocephaly. After seeing a doctor regarding the moulding, Oliver was referred to a paediatrician who said his issue was quite pronounced, and that it may or may not correct itself in time, that when he was older we should just let his hair grow. The only way to correct this issue is via helmet therapy, where a specially moulded helmet is fitted onto the child’s head to allow for normal growth to resume as the pressure is taken away from the favoured side.

Unfortunately as previously explained this treatment is not available on the NHS and costs £1,950. We have been in touch with a company called Technology in Motion who are interested in seeing Oliver and taking 3d scans of his head to assess the severity of his plagiocephaly and can also fit the helmet providing we can raise the funds. They will only consider doing the treatment if it is not getting better by the age of four months, and as positioning and excersizes are having limited effect I doubt that this will happen in this time scale. If it is found that Oliver does not need a helmet in 5 weeks time (which is highly unlikely) then all proceeds from our fundraising will go to Headstart4babies to help other families going through the same issues. These are the reasons we are seeking to raise the funds, helping both our son and other families at the same time.

 

Headstart4babies are a small charity trying to raise awareness of plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, and also to prevent as many families as possible from missing out on the treatment. Since 2004 they have given help and advice to over 1,700 families and raised enough funds to help more than 25 families on a low income proceed with the treatment.

We appreciate all help and support given, if you would like to donate you can do so through this page. Any amount given no matter how small will be hugely appreciated.

Many thanks for your time.