LITTLE Oscar Calvert's first New Year is extra special - thanks to successful treatment in an Austrian clinic part funded by readers of The Star.
Oscar, aged 11 months, has endured many difficulties since he was born by emergency Caesarean section in January.
He stopped breathing just hours after his birth, then spent the following six weeks in Rotherham Hospital and at the Jessop Wing in Sheffield, and has been totally reliant on tubes to feed.
But this New Year Oscar, who is thought also to have sight and hearing difficulties, will be drinking milk normally for the first time in his life.
His mum Chantil, aged 36, and dad Andrew, 37, from Kimberworth, Rotherham, launched a £25,000 appeal in The Star to take him to private clinic in Austria which specialises in weaning children off feeding tubes and helping them to eat and drink naturally.
Support poured in and the family have just come back from their stay - which they say has transformed Oscar's life.
"We can now enjoy Oscar's first New Year with no tube," said Andrew, "and he is a lot happier since the tube has been taken out."
He added: "The doctors kept calling Oscar the star pupil - he did better than they, and us, ever expected him to.
"We want to thank everyone for helping us to raise the money to send Oscar to Austria."
The clinic, in Austria's second-largest city, Graz, is world-renowned for its success in teaching youngsters who have been tube-fed, and have therefore never known hunger or thirst.
Before going to Austria Oscar could eat small quantities of food but, for unknown reasons, could not drink. Feeding took many hours because after a meal he had to wait an hour before being tube-fed milk, to ensure he was not having too much food and liquid at once.
At the clinic children follow a medically supervised programme, where they learn to eat and drink by recognising when they are hungry or
thirsty.
Andrew said: "Oscar did great from the very start. Because he wasn't being fed through his tube anymore he was getting hungrier so he started eating more solids and drinking small amounts of special thickened fluids."
Oscar also had speech therapy and, because he no longer has a tube in his throat, was able to make his first sounds. He also underwent physiotherapy and swimming lessons, to help his general development.
Part of the treatment was a daily 'play picnic' where children learned to explore play with food, to get used to different textures and tastes.
"Oscar loved the play picnic especially the mashed potatoes and dishes of custard!" said Andrew.
Supporters raised money by holding raffles, auctions, golf days and signing up for sponsored events. Log on to
www.help4oscar.com to find out more about Oscar's appeal.
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