The Scott family
ALTHOUGH not even eight months old little Jenson Scott has shown truly remarkable courage.
He lives in Maguiresbridge with his mum and dad, Stephen and Gillian, and his older brother, Ethan.
The medical term for his ailment is Biliary Atresia, a liver disease which, his dad explained, affects 80 children across the UK every year.
“He was also born without tubes which connect the liver to the gall bladder and, while a liver transplant is inevitable further down the line, we are hoping he can get through to his first birthday (28th December, 2013) without one.
“If he does, that would mean he could be in his teens before surgery is necessary.”
However, for the Scott family, hospitals have been a regular feature in his very young life.
His condition was diagnosed at Birmingham Children’s Hospital when he was just six weeks old.
The surgery confirmed Bilary Atresia, a life-threatening condition in infants in which the bile ducts inside or outside the liver do not have normal openings.
Stephen picks up the story: “The doctors also discovered Jenson was missing the tubes connecting the liver to the gall bladder and, without the operation, there was a chance his liver would have shut down.
“It will take a year before we know if the operation was successful or not. They consider it a success of the baby doesn’t need a liver in the first year, so all we can do is hope and pray that he will be all right and not need the liver before his first birthday.”
That was February last.
Then, in June, Jenson underwent his second lengthy operation in Birmingham after becoming unwell.
That too went well, and Jenson was able to return with his parents and Elthan to the family home in Parkhill, Maguiresbridge.
This week, Stephen gave an update on his condition: “He’s looking fairly good compared to some of the children in a similar condition. You really would not know by looking at him there is anything wrong with him.”
But, he and Gillian are relying on their faith to pull them through.
“We’ve done a lot of praying, and we know a lot of others are also praying for us.”
There is an ongoing fund-raising campaign to help defray accommodation when Jenson has to be brought across to Birmingham. Readers can give directly to the family until a dedicated donor line is set up.
To read more.. Subscribe to current edition
Receive quality journalism wherever you are, on any device. Keep up to date from the comfort of your own home with a digital subscription.
Any time | Any place | Anywhere
