A fundraiser has been launched to cover heart surgery costs of £25,000 for a baby who, without the operation, has been given just three months to live. 

Baby Yanis Bacu, whose family moved from Bulgaria to Littleport many years ago, has a rare type of heart cancer called cardiac sarcoma.

The NHS doesn’t have the treatment and research to operate confidently, so mum Claudia has taken the three-month-old and his two older brothers to Turkey who say they can operate with a 83 per cent chance of success.

However, the operation - which has been pencilled in for January - is expected to cost £25,000 and the family need to pay for it up-front.

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After learning about the family's situation from Yanis' father Sorin, his colleague Catherine Hargraves decided to set up a GoFundMe page.

"Sorin had absolutely no idea that GoFundMe even existed," said Catherine, who has worked with Sorin at DS Smith in Ely for several years.

"When I showed it to him online, he didn't even realise that it was a thing. 

"Even the concept of strangers donating money blew his mind. I had to really convince him by saying 'what's the worst that can happen?' 

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Within just 24 hours, almost £2,000 was raised. But, said Catherine, "we need to keep going to hit the £25,000 target".

She added that Sorin has stayed in the UK to work and earn as much money as he can, however "it won’t be enough with such a short time to act.

"The parents are desperately trying to gather the funds via bank loans but aren’t getting the help they need quickly enough, which is why I’m making this fundraising page."

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Writing on the GoFundMe page as if she was baby Yanis, Catherine said: "I'm asking for friends and strangers around the world to help give me a chance at life.

"Please donate what you can or share on social media to friends and family. Your kindness and generosity would mean the world to my family."

To donate visit https://gofund.me/07fd1c95

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