Oxfordshire parents heartbroken after baby's lack of diagnosis

Parents Ainhoa and Alex Jimenez, who live in Berinsfield, near Wallingford, have now spoken out of their heartbreak since their one-year-old son Saturnino was admitted to the John Radcliffe Hospital in January and placed in an induced coma and assisted breathing to avoid further suffering.

As the 24-year-old mother-of-two left for work on January 18, her partner discovered the young Saturnino in his bed‘cold and unresponsive’.

Terrified, Mr Jimenez, 23, called an ambulance and paramedics took the baby straight to the JR.

It was nearly two months later when the couple were able to bring their son home after all kings of tests were performed on him including a genetic study and biopsy.

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Back in February, Saturnino's maternal grandmother launched an online fundraiser to help his parents who both decided to leave their jobs to be with their son, as advised by healthcare workers.

Thousands were raised by generous people in Oxfordshire and Spain, where the family are from, to help them with rent and bills.

But Mr and Ms Jimenez, who also have another child – their two-year-old daughter Dana – have now reached out to benefactors again to help raise much-needed funds for private medical care.

Mr Jimenez revealed that physical therapy or speech therapy, which Saturnino needs, as well as the therapy in a clinic and at home, will cost thousands.

Parents Ainhoa and Alex Jimenez, who live in Berinsfield, near Wallingford, with their two children Saturnino and Dana

With £3,585 already raised, the couple are hoping to raise £5,000.

Mr Jimenez said that he often feels 'helpless' and added: "Our baby was healthy and happy like any others.

"Unfortunately, our little one has been left with a serious brain injury and he is not the child that he was.

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"It seems to us that standing idly by and not looking for parallel answers and solutions would be condemning him to its worst future.

"At our early age, out of our country, far away from friends and family, with scarce resources and currently without receiving any help because we have always been two young workers and we had not needed them, it is a hard and difficult knock and something for which we were never prepared.

"The reason for this campaign is to be able to offer our son the best intensive pedagogy and physiotherapy therapies for at least a period of four or five months.

"We believe that with great stimulation we will be able to get him walking, eating by himself or even getting him to talk.

"It is important to maintain a human chain of empathy and love that allows us as soon as possible to provide our little one with the intensive therapy that he requires beyond the couple of weekly appointments that we have been having so far.

"Faith moves mountains and we have to try."

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The father added that at the moment the family does not receive any further help than child benefits, which come to £140 per month.

Mr Jimenez also revealed that a leading Spanish expert on disease and mitochondrial disorders at the San Juan de Dios Hospital in Barcelona has offered to investigate his son's case.

He added that currently the John Radcliffe Hospital is sharing all of Saturnino's medical information in order to find a diagnosis.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which manages the JR, were not able to comment on the care provided to the patient for legal reasons.

A spokesperson for the trust, however, said: "Clinicians are still caring this patients and remain in close contact with the family."

To help the family and donate to the fundraiser, visit https://gofund.me/1c12ed5d