Southampton Children's Hospital treats boy with rare bone condition

Five-year-old Harvey-Lee was diagnosed with pseudarthrosis of the clavicle as a baby, which means the the collarbone fails to develop properly and can cause mobility issues over time.

It is one of only 200 cases ever reported.

READ MORE: University Hospital Southampton awards 2023: All the winners

Now at the end of his treatment following a bone graft, his mum Jessica is backing a £1.64m fundraising campaign to revamp the unit he stayed in.

She said: "Harvey-Lee is my whole world after his father passed away suddenly aged 34, just three days after Harvey-Lee’s first birthday.

"The hospital helped me to cope with Harvey-Lee’s diagnosis, and he is now also under the care of the paediatric cardiac ward to monitor his heart.

"Southampton Children’s Hospital does not get enough recognition for the care and support they deliver to patients."

When Harvey-Lee was 10 months old, Jessica found a lump on his collarbone and immediately called her local GP surgery in Bournemouth.

They diagnosed him with a broken clavicle, and they were sent to their local hospital for an x-ray which confirmed the diagnosis and added it was calcifying.

She said: "I work in cardiac surgical theatres and am currently working on my nursing association degree, so I knew that something wasn’t quite right with the diagnosis.

"After pressing for a second opinion, we were referred to Mr Wadia at Southampton Children’s Hospital where Harvey-Lee was diagnosed with Pseudarthrosis of the Clavicle.”

The cause of the condition is currently unknown.

Harvey-Lee underwent numerous x-rays and CT scans, along with multiple consultations with Jessica about how best to treat the condition.

On 8 September, 2022, he had what is known as an open reduction internal fixation operation.

This is where bone was removed from his lower leg to fill the space in his collarbone.

This was then fixed together with surgical plates and screws to allow it to knit back together properly.

Jessica said: "While he stayed in hospital overnight after the surgery, he was doing so well that we were discharged the following day with just a dressing on his leg and arm, with an arm sling to maintain the natural positioning of his clavicle while it healed."

She said that the areas healed very well which was testament to the team that did the operation.

Praising all the hospital staff involved, she said: "I would never want my son treated anywhere else other than at Southampton Children’s Hospital.

"I will forever be grateful that Mr Wadia did not see me as an over reactive mother and instead listened to my concerns. This meant that Harvey-Lee was properly diagnosed, and something could be done to change his life."

She back the hospital's recently announced fundraising campaign to raise £1.64million to refurbish the trauma and orthopaedic ward.

She said: "It is an absolutely outstanding hospital with incredible staff, however the ward is dated. The parents room was very small and crowded especially when you see how many parents are on that ward.

"During my stay, I slept on the side of Harvey-Lee’s hospital bed as there were no additional fold-out beds for me to use as there were only a certain amount of these beds available.

"We are proud to support the hospital charity appeal to refurbish the ward so it matches the world-class care given by the staff.”