Help support Osian's life-changing treatment

Hi!

We are Sarah and Ben, parents of 9 year-old Osian.

Osian has lived with multiple, life-threatening, food allergies since he was a baby and although he's full of energy and fun, his life is affected daily by this chronic condition. Navigating the world every day with the worry of anaphylaxis in his mind, sitting in school knowing that his allergens could be anywhere, he often feels really desperate and down and questions what his life will be like in the future.

At the age of 4, Osian told us that he didn't want to die because of his allergies. Imagine sitting, as a child in the world, knowing that your poison could be anywhere, but is invisible. For him, those poisons are cow's milk, egg, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, lentils and buckwheat, and they are extremely hard to avoid - next time you buy any food take a look at the label!

Osh's reality is feeling excluded from, or on the periphery of, many everyday social and educational experiences and settings. Feeling unsafe when there is food nearby. Being goaded by other children to eat something he is allergic to to "see what happens". Avoiding situations that he knows involve food because he hates feeling different and scared. The worry and anxiety is constant and the fear of experiencing a catastrophic allergic reaction is all too real.

We are fundraising to help towards the costs of Osian being treated on the Tolerance Induction Programme at the Food Allergy Institute in California. This treatment programme will be anything from 2 to 5 or more years long, depending on how his test results look and how his system responds to the treatment. We will need to visit California every 12 weeks and then continue with the treatment plan at home in between visits.

We are currently raising funds for the first year of treatment. We will need to raise funds for subsequent years too when we know how long Osian's plan is. Anything raised will be put directly towards Year 1 treatment which we anticipate will cost approx £15k. If we are lucky enough to exceed this amount, we will put anything additional towards travel and accommodation costs, which will be high.

The aim of the treatment programme is to induce Osian's immune system to tolerate the many foods he is allergic to so that he will be able to freely eat whatever he wants, without fear of ending up in hospital or losing his life. The treatment may not be smooth sailing and there is a possibility that Osian will experience allergic reactions as part of the process. However, he is determined to do it, despite this knowledge, because he desperately wants the chance to live like everybody else.

Treatments in the UK are limited (and not available in Wales) and we have been told by Osian's medical team that, unfortunately, he is not a suitable candidate for them. So this treatment programme in California is now the only option that offers Osh some real hope for a better quality of life.

We would be grateful beyond words if you could spare anything to help us make this happen for him. It will truly change his life.