A Ghanaian teenager will arrive in Oxford next month for life changing surgery – thanks to the generosity of local doctors.

Doctors from the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre have offered to perform a limb reconstruction on 17-year-old Michael Eshun free of charge after they learned of his plight.

Sue Footner, from Sherbourne, in Dorset, met Michael three years ago while she was working as a volunteer nurse on a charity hospital ship, run by international charity organisation Mercy Ships, in Ghana.

He had broken his arm when he was eight and went to the ship to see if there was anything doctors could do for his ‘withered arm’.

Mrs Footner said: “I had never seen an injury like it before. It was in effect a withered arm with bone loss between the elbow and forearm, but he could still move his fingers and thumb.

“However, the arm is useless and just hangs there.

“Michael was still wearing the original splint he had been given and it was falling to pieces. He was so disappointed when the ship had to turn him away because they had no orthopaedic surgeon on board.”

After arriving home, Mrs Footner, who lost her own son seven years ago, set about doing everything she could to help Michael.

She discovered the NOC was one of the few centres worldwide which could perform the operation Michael needed.

A date has now been set for the operation to take place.

Although two surgeons at the NOC will give their time for free, Mrs Footner must raise £15,000 for NHS costs as Michael is not a UK national.

She said: “Michael strikes me as such a promising young man that I would like very much to help him.

“He is working very hard at school and last year won a place at one of the top schools in Ghana.

“They have told me they can take a vascular bone graft from Michael’s lower leg to reconstruct the arm.

“The operation date has been set for Wednesday, July 8, and if all goes to plan Michael will have just a slightly shorter arm with fully functioning thumb movement and slightly weakened finger movement, thus transforming his life.”

Mrs Footner has raised £10,500 and has appealed for help to raise the rest.

To donate to the appeal, pay money in at any Barclays Bank under the account name Michael’s Arm, sort code 20-99-40.