A three-year-old Dundee boy is one of the first children to benefit from a new laser at Ninewells Hospital, purchased with the help of a £47,000 local charity donation.
The new laser was provided with the help of a £47,000 donation from the Cupar-based charity set up by Doreen Trust and her late husband Peter to help people with disfigurements and promote acceptance of them.
“I am thrilled our Scottish charity has been able to achieve so much because this will be the seventh NHS hospital we have managed to help and hope to do a lot more,” said Mrs Trust.
“I think it is a big step forward to have this facility in such an excellent plastic and reconstruction surgery department. The Ninewells unit is a quite outstanding department. The laser is going to do a lot of good for a lot of people and it is the very latest in laser technology.”
Oliver Nolan was born with a port wine stain that covered the top of his head and travelled down his forehead on to his eyelid.
But now the large, dark stain that could be seen through the little boy’s blonde hair has been reduced to a much less visible “dusky pink” thanks to laser treatment. Fear that their son would be made miserable by the disfigurement was the least of mum Kelly and policeman dad Patrick’s worries immediately after their second son was born.
“We were concerned about the implications of Oliver having a port wine stain when the paediatricians told us because it was on his forehead and on his head there was a chance it could affect his brain and he might have special needs, might have epilepsy, or might have glaucoma,” said Kelly.
Thankfully, the wee lad has shown no signs of developmental problems.
“The paediatricians at Ninewells are more than happy with his progress,” said Kelly. “He started walking at 11 months and there has been nothing to worry about.”
Now the little lad attends nursery school in Invergowrie where his classmates were given “a wee chat” about his trips to hospital and his port wine stain then quickly got back to the important business of running around the playground together.
“Maybe because he is a second child, Oliver is much more confident and just flips up his hair and says ‘That is my birth mark’ and doesn’t seem to bother,” said Kelly.
She praised Dr Alex Munnoch, the plastic surgeon who has been treating her son and other local children with port wine stains and the nursing staff who support the children and their families. Kelly said her husband was planning to do some fund-raising for the plastic surgery unit at Ninewells.
“It does cost a lot to do this kind of treatment,” said Kelly. “To have access to this service is just great. There has never ever been a problem and the staff just couldn’t be nicer and more helpful.”
Prior to the donation of the new laser, Dr Munnoch gave Oliver treatment using a laser borrowed from elsewhere in the hospital. Dr Munnoch said the new laser would lead to fewer delays between sessions and allow more children to be helped more quickly.