{"id":79474,"date":"2023-12-05T14:59:55","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T14:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=79474"},"modified":"2023-12-06T08:47:31","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T08:47:31","slug":"christmas-wish-to-stop-childs-life-threatening-seizures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2023\/12\/05\/christmas-wish-to-stop-childs-life-threatening-seizures\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas wish to stop child&#8217;s life threatening seizures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>A family from Cardiff is seeking donations towards their son\u2019s life saving surgery<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"Stewart McCarthy, Kirsty Rosser, Cameron and Caleb McCarthy get a visit from Santa in 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-79507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"767\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-1024x767.jpg\" alt=\"Stewart McCarthy, Kirsty Rosser, Cameron and Caleb McCarthy get a visit from Santa in 2019.\" class=\"wp-image-79507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-770x577.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660-293x219.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4660.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Caleb McCarthy&#8217;s family get a visit from Santa<\/strong> (Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>WHILE parents in Cardiff are putting up Christmas trees, writing lists, and thinking about what to buy for Christmas dinner, one couple is concentrating on raising enough money to send their eight-year-old son for lifesaving surgery in the USA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caleb McCarthy&#8217;s life changed overnight in August 2019 when his life-threatening seizures began. They started at about 20 per day and worsened to 60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"793\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"79524\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-793x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-793x1024.jpg 793w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-770x994.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-1190x1536.jpg 1190w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-293x378.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min.jpg 1208w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 793px) 100vw, 793px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"793\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"79524\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-793x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79524\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-793x1024.jpg 793w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-232x300.jpg 232w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-770x994.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-1190x1536.jpg 1190w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min-293x378.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4661-min.jpg 1208w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 793px) 100vw, 793px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Caleb pictured by his mother in Costa (Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Caleb was diagnosed with Epileptic Encephalopathy which means he has so many seizures a day that his brain never has chance to recover from the last one. The disease is resistant to medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the diagnosis, Dr Luke Tomycz of New Jersey in the US has performed two operations to remove two parts of Caleb&#8217;s brain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These surgeries initially reduced his seizures to around one every 10 days but this has gone up to about 10 per day, and Caleb is at risk of sudden death from epilepsy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Caleb rarely attends school, and he is not able to read or write. \u201cAt the very most he can trace over his name in pencil on a good day\u201d, said his mother, Kirsty Rosser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To protect him in the night, Kirsty shares a bed with both Caleb and his four-year-old brother, Cameron, and hasn\u2019t slept properly in over four years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The condition affects the entire family. Caleb needs constant care so Kirsty and her partner Stewart McCarthy have reduced their working hours to be there for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"79547\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-580x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-580x1024.jpg 580w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-170x300.jpg 170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-770x1359.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-871x1536.jpg 871w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-1161x2048.jpg 1161w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-293x517.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min.jpg 1184w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"580\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"79547\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-580x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79547\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-580x1024.jpg 580w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-170x300.jpg 170w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-770x1359.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-871x1536.jpg 871w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-1161x2048.jpg 1161w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min-293x517.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4667-min.jpg 1184w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 580px) 100vw, 580px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Family photo (Credit: Kirsty)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"79530\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-924x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-924x1024.jpg 924w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-271x300.jpg 271w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-770x853.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-293x325.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min.jpg 1197w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"924\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"79530\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-924x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79530\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-924x1024.jpg 924w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-271x300.jpg 271w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-770x853.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min-293x325.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4666-min.jpg 1197w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 924px) 100vw, 924px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Stewart McCarthy, Kirsty Rosser and Caleb pictured together (Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Four-year-old brother Cameron\u2019s life has also been affected in many ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think Cameron has some sort of separation anxiety. Unfortunately because [seizures] happen so often, we can\u2019t stop Cameron from seeing them, he has got used to it, but I do worry how that impacts him. He does have emotional outbursts at times because he just has so much on his little four-year-old brain,&#8221; said Kirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"733\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"79539\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-1024x733.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-1024x733.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-770x551.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-293x210.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664.jpg 1167w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"733\" data-id=\"79539\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-1024x733.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79539\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-1024x733.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-300x215.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-770x551.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664-293x210.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4664.jpg 1167w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brothers pictured together: Caleb (left), Cameron (right). (Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"859\" height=\"1024\" loading=\"lazy\" data-id=\"79540\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-859x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-859x1024.jpg 859w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-770x918.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-293x349.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min.jpg 1139w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"859\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"79540\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-859x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-859x1024.jpg 859w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-252x300.jpg 252w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-770x918.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min-293x349.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4662-min.jpg 1139w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 859px) 100vw, 859px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brothers pictured together: Caleb (left), Cameron (right). (Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Cameron&#8217;s desire for a normal brotherly relationship becomes more apparent at Christmas time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChristmas is a funny one because Cameron gets up at the crack of dawn and then Caleb is not always able to do that. With his seizures mostly being at night we have to let him lie in otherwise they get worse throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;It is really hard to stop an excited Cameron from waking Caleb up. Cameron understands but at times like Christmas he does think \u2018why?\u2019 and it isn\u2019t fair,&#8221; said Kirsty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is hope Caleb will become free from seizures if the family can raise enough money to go back to the USA where he would have another area of his brain removed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The family need to raise \u00a3120,000 before they can visit &#8220;Dr Luke&#8221; again so the family have set up a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/help-caleb-become-seizure-free\">GoFundMe<\/a> page which you can donate to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They have raised almost \u00a327,500 since setting up the fundraiser on November 10. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other ways to get involved include the children\u2019s Santa Spectacular Show event at Llanishen High School on Saturday, December 9. To buy tickets, email <a href=\"mailto:sjb_media@outlook.com\">sjb_media@outlook.com<\/a>. All profits will be donated to Caleb\u2019s treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is also a raffle at an adult fundraiser on January 5. For details and to buy tickets follow <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/caleb_orion_2015\/\">@caleb_orion_2015<\/a> on Instagram from Friday. Organisers are also looking for raffle prizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"759\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-1024x759.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-770x571.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-293x217.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665.jpg 1164w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"759\" src=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-1024x759.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-79541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-1024x759.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-300x222.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-770x571.jpg 770w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665-293x217.jpg 293w, https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2023\/12\/IMG_4665.jpg 1164w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><strong>Selfie of Caleb and his dad Stewart McCarthy. <\/strong>(Credit: Kirsty Rosser)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A family from Cardiff is seeking donations towards their son\u2019s life saving surgery<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1043,"featured_media":79551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,2,135,3,79],"tags":[1291,227,8588,235,339],"coauthors":[8533],"class_list":["post-79474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canton","category-featured","category-llanishen","category-news","category-splott","tag-cardiff-2","tag-community","tag-epilepsy","tag-fundraiser","tag-wales"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Christmas wish to stop child&#039;s life threatening seizures - The Cardiffian<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2023\/12\/05\/christmas-wish-to-stop-childs-life-threatening-seizures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Christmas wish to stop child&#039;s life threatening seizures - The Cardiffian\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A family from Cardiff is seeking donations towards their son\u2019s life saving surgery\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2023\/12\/05\/christmas-wish-to-stop-childs-life-threatening-seizures\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" 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