10k for Oliver’s oscillation vest

We are hoping to raise money to buy our son Oliver a chest wall oscillation vest which vibrates and moves the sticky mucus that stays on his lungs. They cost around £10,000.

As £10k is such a big ask, Tom has signed up for The Birmingham 10K Winter Warmer Run on Sat 17th February 2024. We would be eternally grateful for you to sponsor him to raise 10K for Oliver’s Oscillation Vest to give him a better quality of life and hopefully reduce his hospital stays. Tom is not a seasoned runner but anything to help Ollie.

As many of you know, Oliver has had a challenging 2. 5 years filled with countless hospital visits, tests, appointments and has been diagnosed with a life long condition of Bronchiectasis, with the route cause recently diagnosed as APDS (affecting 1 in 1 million).

APDS is an extremely rare genetic condition affecting his immune system which increases the likelihood of him getting lymphoma cancer or another life threatening condition at a young age. Due to his increased risk of complications we want to do everything we can to make Oliver’s life easier.

As a result of his immune deficiency, Oliver has Bronchiectasis which is a long-term condition where the airways of the lungs become widened, leading to a build-up of excess mucus that make the lungs more vulnerable to infection.

Oliver’s daily routine consists of a hypertonic saline nebuliser taking around 20 minutes followed by chest clearance of either chest percussion for a further 20 minutes or a PEP mask which Oliver blows into for a minute, stops, huffs, coughs and continues for 10 cycles. This is required 2-3 times a day dependant on how well he is.

He also takes daily prophylactic antibiotics to reduce the chance of catching infections due to his poor immune system and requires different antibiotics when he is unwell. Oliver also has to have weekly immunoglobulin injections to try to boost his immune system. Every 3 months Oliver is admitted for 2 weeks planned hospital stays for IV antibiotics under the care of his respiratory team and physio.

In our last admission we asked for him to try the oscillation vest as Oliver has never had a clear chest, even after 2-3 physio sessions a day for the last 2 years and nebulising for the last year, he always has crackles. After using the vest Oliver’s chest was clear for the first time.

As Oliver is only 3, the more vigorous routine we can maintain is imperative to ensure that as his lungs grow until his teenage years, the percentage of damaged lungs will hopefully lessen providing we can limit any further damage.

High-frequency chest wall oscillation involves an inflatable vest that is attached to a machine. The machine mechanically performs chest physical therapy by vibrating at a high frequency. The vest vibrates the chest to loosen any thin mucus.

We are unable to get an oscillation vest on the NHS due to the significant cost and we are hoping to fundraise to be able to buy one privately. We would be eternally grateful for any donation to make Oliver’s daily routine easier to be able to nebulise at the same time as the vest and for him to be able to spend more time with his brothers and hopefully not have to spend 2 weeks every 3 months in hospital. Oliver is incredibly brave and takes most things in his stride, any chance to shorten his routine to allow him to be a ‘normal’ child would be simply amazing.