A CRITICALLY ill teenager needs a financial lifeline to ensure he can have life-saving surgery in the States.

Bradley Harrison, from Shoreham, flew to a specialist clinic in Cleveland, Ohio to speak to doctors about his heart condition after being told his only option in the UK was a heart and lung transplant.

The 16-year-old has since suffered heart failure and is now too unwell to fly home without receiving vital treatment which will cost £250,000.

Bradley’s sister, Ellie Harrison, 18, said: “He desperately needs this operation, they want to do it this week but it costs so much money.

“My mum hasn’t left his bedside since he went in, she’s got a bed in the intensive care unit and is sleeping in there with him.

“It’s hard seeing the pictures of him ill in bed because I’m used to him being all loud and funny and lively.

“But it won’t be long and he’ll be back to his usual self and we will be arguing.”

Bradley, who was born with heart disease, was told by Royal Brompton hospital in London he needed a heart and lung transplant but would have to be bed-ridden before being put on the list.

His mother, Jaimie Eason, was not prepared to wait so researched online and found a surgeon in Cleveland prepared to give the family a second opinion.

Ellie said: “The specialist there, Hani Najm, says he can repair Bradley’s mitral valve which should mean he won’t actually need a transplant.

“This kind of surgery is an everyday thing for him, he does thousands of these operations and makes it sound easy, which has put us at ease.

“It’s an eight-hour operation, then Bradley will need to stay in hospital for up to six weeks afterwards before he can fly.

“That costs $10, 000 a day alone.”

The family have been told the procedure cannot go ahead until the funds are in place so they are now working hard to raise the money as quickly as possible.

Following a ten-hour flight to get Bradley to the clinic in Cleveland last Tuesday, the teenager’s already debilitating condition quickly worsened and saw him rushed into intensive care.

Bradley’s father, Gary Harrison, 41, said: “When they started running tests in the clinic there they told his mum straight away his lungs were filling up with fluid.

“He’s been in and out of hospital here for two to three months complaining of chronic pain and now we know it was the fluid causing it.

“They’ve drained a stone’s worth from his lungs in the hospital in America. He is very unwell.”

Doctors in Cleveland will insert a catheter into Bradley’s groin to find out if he is well enough for the surgery.

Assuming he is, the surgeon hopes to proceed with the operation later this week.

The family have been busy contacting large companies and celebrities on Twitter to see if they are willing to help with their fundraising efforts.

Bradley’s father, sister Ellie and younger brother Corey will soon fly to Cleveland to join Bradley.

To help Bradley, donate here: race-nation.com/donate/705.