YOUNG parents have appealed for urgent help in raising £200,000 as they face a race against time to get their four-month-old son a life saving operation in America.

First time parents Tim and Lydia Cameron have spent less than three weeks at their Wantage home together with their son Oliver after doctors found he had a mass in his heart, bigger than the heart itself.

The rare Cardiac Fibroma has only ever been reported 200 times and means the youngster has suffered multiple potentially fatal episodes where his heart races uncontrollably.

Mrs Cameron gave birth to Oliver on born January 31 at the John Radcliffe Hospital at 41 weeks, weighing 7.5lbs.

She said: “When he came out he wasn’t breathing properly and he was rushed to the neo-natal intensive care unit.

“The day after he was born he was transferred to Southampton General Hospital, which is known as the best cardiac centre in the area.

“After scans and tests they found he had an extremely large mass within the wall of his heart, it is extremely rare and in Oliver’s case the tumour is bigger than the heart itself.”

The mass means Oliver’s heart speeds up to a life-threatening pace, called a ventricular tachycardia, and in four months he has had to be sedated several times and his heart shocked back into a normal rhythm.

The 28-year-old mum said: “The longest we have been at home with Oliver has been two and a half weeks.”

The parents bought Oliver home from Southampton on Thursday and are now monitoring their baby boy as well as fundraising to get him life-saving surgery, not available on the NHS, at Boston Children’s Hospital in America.

She added: “It is a constant worry that any time his heart goes into ventricular tachycardia it could be fatal.

“We just have to monitor him constantly, it is worrying to deal with it but that’s our reality now until we can get him the surgery.

“Our job is to keep him as stable as we can and raise the money as quick as we can.

“The consultant has just said to get Oliver out to America as soon as possible.

“If you think he has had five episodes in 15 weeks of life, we could be due another one in just three weeks.”

Oliver is now on three types of medication, including beta-blockers, four times a day and his parents have to monitor his heart rate doesn’t go above 150 beats per minute.

The worst episode has seen his heart race to 194 beats per minute and his parents called it heartbreaking as Oliver’s heart rate had to be shocked back into rhythm.

Mrs Cameron said: “Baring in mind all he is going through, he is still the happiest little chap.

“He is the biggest flirt with all the nurses, just such a cheeky, lovely little boy.

The new mum added: “We are overwhelmed with the response and have raised £36,000 in ten days.

“We are very touched by the generosity. It is a large amount of money to raise but we just have to do it for our beautiful boy.”

Friends and family have been pitching in, hosting fundraisers as well as donations from members of the public.

Mr Cameron, a 30-year-old police officer, and Mrs Cameron, who works in the legal system, have a fundraising page online, it says: “We are desperate to raise sufficient funds for this life saving treatment so our beautiful little man has the chance of a long and happy life.”

Adding: “We can’t thank you enough for helping to give him the biggest gift of a chance at life.”

To donate, gofundme.com/oliversheartsurgery