Boy can 'enjoy being a child again' after rare surgery

A mum says her seven-year-old son can "enjoy being a child again" after becoming one of the youngest people in the UK to undergo a rare life-saving pancreas procedure.

Charlie, from Oxfordshire, was born with hereditary pancreatitis that led to years of debilitating illness.

He underwent a total pancreatectomy with islet autotransplantation (TPIAT) at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital in March. This involved removing his pancreas and transplanting his own insulin-producing cells into his liver.

His mum, Charmaine, said the operation had not only saved Charlie's life, but transformed it.

"Today, he is no longer living in constant pain," she said.

"He can run around, play football with his team, swim, laugh with his friends and simply enjoy being a child again.

"As parents, all we could do was watch our little boy suffer. His life revolved around hospital admissions, blood tests, scans, procedures, and waiting for the next episode."

Charlie began experiencing severe episodes of pancreatitis from the age of four, resulting in repeated emergency hospital admissions.

His mum said his condition deteriorated further in September 2025, when his pancreas began leaking into his chest, causing his left lung to collapse.

He required a chest drain and a feeding tube after significant weight loss, before a second collapsed lung led to clinicians proceeding urgently with surgery.

The procedure, carried out by a team of about 50 clinicians, involved removing Charlie's pancreas, spleen and gallbladder, before specialists isolated insulin-producing cells from the organ and transplanted them into his liver.

Consultant hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon Michael Silva said the procedure could be "life-changing" for a small number of patients with chronic pancreatitis.

He said: "By removing the source of the disease while preserving and re-implanting the patient's own islet cells, we can relieve symptoms and give children the opportunity to return to their regular activities with a greatly improved quality of life."

Charlie now lives with type 3c diabetes and requires insulin therapy, but his family say the challenges are outweighed by the chance for him to live a full and active life.

Delivering a message directly to other children facing the same operation, Charlie said: "Don't worry. It will be OK, because you have good surgeons to look after you."