Edinburgh mum-to-be has been accepted for surgery on her unborn baby

A young couple who were waiting word on a life-altering operation for their unborn son have been given full green light by medics and hope the surgery will take place within weeks..

Ami Milligan 20 weeks scan

Ami Milligan, 23 and Ross MacDonald, 24, from Clermiston in Edinburgh, thought their unborn son would be left with severe disabilities after being diagnosed with Spina Bifida.

But the couple fought for their baby’s future quality of life and managed to secure an assessment at the world-leading Great Ormond Street Hospital London for a revolutionary in the womb surgery.

All that was standing in the family’s way was one last assessment which they have now passed.Ami is now preparing to travel to Belgium at short notice to have the operation carried out by the most experienced in the womb surgeon team in Europe.

Ami Milligan and partner Ross MacDonald

The surgery must be completed within a specific time frame for it to have a chance at being successful.

NHS worker Ami said: “We took the news really well. We were happy and nervous but also excited at the same time as it was the answer we were hoping for. I think we’d be devastated if we found out we weren’t eligible

“There’s so many thoughts going through both mine and Ross’ heads right now. Thinking about the complications that can occur but also thinking about the positive outcomes

“It means everything to us as it’s giving our little boy the best possible opportunity in life. It’s hard to say what is next for the three is us as we still don’t know the full result of the surgery until baby is born.”

She added: “We are still raising donations for Great Ormond Street because if it wasn’t for them then we wouldn’t have this opportunity. We’ve been informed that Great Ormond Street has teamed up with Leuven Hospital in Belgium as they are the only two hospitals in Europe that can perform this surgery. I will travel to Leuven for the surgery as they are the most experienced team in Europe.”

Link to Ami’s fundraising page to give back to Great Ormond Street: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ami-Milligan1?

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