Soldier buys Bosnian boy new £100,000 FACE after being moved by his terrible facial deformities



Former Staff Sergeant Wayne Ingram met Stefan Slavic ten years ago

Stefan, now 14, was born with a facial deformity and needed surgery

His eyes were 4.5cm further apart, had no nose and skull was crushed



Mr Ingram promised to raise enough money for him to have treatment

Thanks to his efforts, the first operation was carried out in 2003

He has now just had another follow-up procedure at Great Ormond Street

A soldier who spotted a boy with a terrible deformity while on patrol in Bosnia has spent ten years fundraising to finally deliver his promise of giving him a new face.



Former Staff Sergeant Wayne Ingram, 44, met four-year-old Stefan Savic a decade ago while on peacekeeping duties in Eastern Europe.



Stefan was born with a debilitating condition called Tessier facial cleft, which meant his eyes were 4.5cm further apart than normal and he had no proper nose.



Former Staff Sergeant Wayne Ingram has raised more than £100,000 to pay for a Bosnian boy, Stefan Savic, to have surgery at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital in London

But father-of-two Mr Ingram, formerly of the 9th/12th Royal Lancers, was so moved by Stefan's plight he vowed to get him state-of-the-art medical help.



He collected an amazing £85,000 with a fundraising drive across Bosnia and the UK before bringing Stefan to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2003.



The youngster underwent 12 hours of surgery with plastic surgeon David Dunaway, who cut his face in half before moving his eyes closer together and building him a nose.

The operation was a success but Mr Dunaway warned that a second operation would be needed a decade later.



Mr Ingram kept in touch with Stefan and his parents Slavenka, 36, and Milos, 44, raising a further £20,000 to bring him back to the UK to finish his treatment.



Stefan, now 14, returned to Great Ormond Street this week for his second operation with Mr Dunaway to improve his face and help his breathing.



When Mr Ingram first met Stefan a decade ago he promised to help raise the money for him to have the surgery he needed on the facial deformity he was born with. Stefan has now had the treatment (pictured)

Stefan (pictured at the age of four) born with a debilitating condition called Tessier facial cleft which meant his eyes were 4.5cm further apart than normal and he had no proper nose

Mr Ingram, from Weymouth, Dorset, said he was just happy to complete the remarkable job of helping Stefan lead the life of a normal little boy.



He said: ‘I was on a routine patrol in Bosnia when I was introduced to his father and went to meet Stefan.



‘The condition had been left untreated and had grown between Stefan's eyes, crushing his skull, forcing his eyes apart to the point he couldn't see what was ahead of him.



WHAT IS TESSIER FACIAL CLEFT?

A facial cleft is an opening or gap in the face, or a malformation of part of the face.

It occurs when separate areas of the face do not join together properly when a baby is developing in the womb.

There are many different types of clefts, one group of which are called Tessier clefts.

These are clefts affecting the centre of the face.

The clefts are very rare and most children with them need multiple operations to help them breathe and eat.

‘But aside from the facial deformities he was just a normal, playful little boy. He was confident and cheeky, climbing all over me as we played football in the yard.

‘He was too young then to be self-aware. But his facial cleft was blocking his airways and without medical attention, could kill him.



‘I had two young sons myself at the time and there was no way I could stand back and do nothing. I knew in an instant I had to do everything I could to help.’



As Mr Ingram set about raising funds, he wrote to a long list of celebrities.

Only David Beckham replied, politely explaining he had already chosen his charities for that year.



Mr Dunaway, the surgeon, was offering his services for free but Mr Ingram still needed to pay for flights, accommodation for the family, as well as essential hospital costs.



He raised 6,000 Euros by staging a charity football match in Banja Luka, with Muslim, Serb and Croat players setting aside their conflicts to help Stefan.



And back in the UK, Mr Ingram launched a massive fundraising drive, persuading his local Asda to put collection boxes beside their tills.



He said: ‘Donations poured in and I was bowled over by the generosity.



‘Stefan needed three operations back then - one to remove his teeth, another to reconstruct his nose and another to reconstruct his skull.



Thanks to Mr Ingram, Stefan has had a series of operations and procedures at Great Ormond Street. The pair are pictured during one of Stefan's previous trips to London for treatment

Stefan (pictured after his latest operation) is expected to need one more operation and Mr Ingram has promised to be there for him and to help raise the money for this operation as well

‘He was back and forth to the UK many times, staying for as long as a month at a time.



‘The doctors warned us it wasn't over, however, and that ten years later Stefan would need follow up surgery.



‘But we have kept in touch ever since and as ten years neared I let Stefan's family know I would raise the necessary funds - over £20,000.’



As Mr Ingram set about raising a second lot of cash to pay for visas, hospital costs and flights, he was once more amazed by people's generosity.



In his native Dorset, one anonymous donor, calling herself simply 'the kind granny' contributed a ‘large, undisclosed’ amount.



And this time celebrities including comic Jim Davidson and musician Billy Bragg also answered his letters.



After his latest operation, Stefan (pictured on his first trip to London in 2003) said: 'This is the best thing that has ever happened to me'

Stefan's operations have been carried out by surgeon David Dunaway (right) who has waived his fee on each occasion. This meant Mr Ingram only had to raise money for flights, accommodation and hospital costs

With the funding in place, Stefan underwent his four-hour follow-up operation with Mr Dunaway on Saturday and is making a good recovery.



Mr Dunaway, who once more waived his fees, said: ‘This operation was really about reconstructing his nose and improving his nasal airway.



‘His nose was very wide and he basically didn't have a tip to it at all.



‘We took a cartilage from one rib, fashioned it into the shape of a nose, then used it to reconstruct his nose.



‘This will allow him to breath more easily, eat more easily, it will improve his speech and he will look much more like the rest of us.



‘To have the opportunity to greet him again and finish it off so he can lead a normal life and not worry about these things is just great.’



Without treatment, Stefan's condition could have killed him because his airway was being blocked

Mr Ingram (pictured with Stefan before his latest operation) was so inspired by Stefan that after leaving the army he became a paramedic

Stefan will likely need a further operation on his nose and orthodontics to realign his teeth before one final surgery to correct the roof of his mouth.



Mr Ingram, who was so inspired by Stefan's medical progress he became a paramedic after leaving the army, says he'll be there every step of the way.



Mr Ingram, whose own sons Harry and Toby are now 18 and 16, added: ‘Stefan has never moaned or complained the whole time I've known him.



‘His mum says that after his latest operation he looked in front of the mirror and said: “this is the best thing that has ever happened to me”.



‘For me this was about honouring a promise I made all those years ago and doing everything I could for Stefan.



‘He's changed my life as well and inspired me to become a paramedic. We'll always have an inseparable bond.’



Mr Ingram’s fundraising efforts have been supported by the Facing the World charity, which provides life-changing surgery to children from developing countries with severe facial disfigurements.

