Inspiring tot, 4, to give back to the hospital that saved his life

Sophie Lee, from Great Sankey, found out that her she was pregnant with her son, Ozzy, in March 2020.

It was during her 12-week scan that she was told Ozzy might have a condition called gastroschisis.

This then meant that that he could be born with some of his organs outside his abdomen.

“I’d never heard of it before, and I was alone in my scan due to Covid restrictions, so it was a really difficult experience,” she said.

“We came home and naturally Googled it, as you do, and found out that it only happens in around one in 5,000 babies and isn’t caused by anything.

“There’s no way of knowing exactly what is outside until they are born.”

Ozzy was born with gastroschisis (Image: Supplied)

Sophie was monitored throughout her pregnancy, and Ozzy was born in November 2020 and was taken by ambulance to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

He received lifesaving surgery at the hospital, and still receives care there due to ongoing problems with his bowels.

“He had surgery at only a few hours old, and it took around five hours as he had his stomach, bladder, small and large intestines outside his abdomen,” she said.

“Since then, he’s had a further three admissions due to intestinal obstructions, where the scar tissue inside him sticks together.

“So far he’s not needed any more surgery but it’s a possibility in the future.”

The 4-year-old still receives care at Alder Hey (Image: Supplied)

The family can’t praise the Alder Hey enough for the support they have received there, especially during the first few days of Ozzy’s life.

“The staff were absolutely amazing,” said Sophie.

“They sat with me during the night and cuddled Ozzy when I needed to shower or try to sleep. They supported us through everything.

“When you’ve got a baby that’s covered in wires and tubes it can be really daunting, but they got us to be really hands on and involved us in all aspects of his care.

"You don’t think you’ll ever need a hospital like Alder Hey, but as a family who are very familiar with it now, all I can say is thank goodness we have it so close by. It truly is a wonderful place."

Ozzy has so far raised more than £460 for the hospital (Image: Supplied)

Now, the determined four-year-old is fundraising to give back to Alder Hey, attempting to walk 31 miles in 31 days.

Despite the fact that it’s a lot of miles for such little legs, Ozzy has so far walked more than one mile a day.

“When we saw the challenged advertised, we spoke to Ozzy, and he said he would like to help other children that needed Alder Hey.

“Ozzy loves being outside, so we knew he’d enjoy doing it. His original target was £150, but he’s done so well and is currently at £466.

“We would love to get it to £500 by the end of October. We’re super proud of him, we always have been.”

If you’d like to help support Ozzy’s fundraiser, you can donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/Sophie1725989160932