Brave toddler has his skull cracked open and pieced back together to stop him getting headaches or going blind

  • Oliver Matthews was diagnosed with craniosynostosis at 6 months old
  • This meant his skull was abnormally shaped and could cause blindness
  • Had four operations to crack open his skull and correct the problem
  • Mother: Surgery could have been avoided had medics spotted it earlier

Cheekily smiling as he plays with his toy truck, Oliver Matthews looks like he doesn't have a care in the world.

But the two-year-old, from Hull, has already undergone four painful operations to crack open his skull and piece it back together.

Doctors diagnosed him with craniosynostosis when he was six months old - a rare problem causing babies to be born with an abnormally shaped head.

If left untreated it can lead to persistent headaches, learning difficulties, eye problems and other symptoms.

Oliver Matthews, two, was diagnosed with craniosynostosis at six months old. This is a condition where the skull is abnormally shaped and can cause blindness if left untreated

Oliver Matthews, two, was diagnosed with craniosynostosis at six months old. This is a condition where the skull is abnormally shaped and can cause blindness if left untreated

Oliver has undergone four gruelling operations to correct his misshapen head. His mother Lauren, 24, said he could have been spared surgery had medics spotted symptoms earlier

Oliver has undergone four gruelling operations to correct his misshapen head. His mother Lauren, 24, said he could have been spared surgery had medics spotted symptoms earlier

His mother, Lauren, 24, said he could have been spared the pain of surgery if doctors had picked up on symptoms earlier - as he was only diagnosed after going to the doctors for an allergic reaction. 

Now, she is warning parents to be vigilant of the symptoms, which include a misshapen head or a 'soft' spot on the skull.

She said: 'I just want parents to know the symptoms. I had never heard of it beforehand and not many people I speak to know about it either.

'My GP was completely uneducated on it and had no idea what it was. 

'If it was picked up earlier he wouldn't have had to have such an intrusive surgery that lasted seven hours.

WHAT IS CRANIOSYNOSTSIS?

Craniosynostosis is a birth defect in which one or more of the joints between the bones of your baby's skull close prematurely, before your baby's brain is fully formed. 

When your baby has craniosynostosis, his or her brain can't grow in its natural shape and the head is misshapen.

Craniosynostosis can affect one or more of the joints in your baby's skull. 

In some cases, craniosynostosis is associated with an underlying brain abnormality that prevents the brain from growing properly.

Treating craniosynostosis usually involves surgery to separate the fused bones. 

If there's no underlying brain abnormality, the surgery allows your baby’s brain adequate space to grow and develop

Source: Mayo Clinic

Advertisement

'I just want more people to know about it.'

Oliver, who has a six-year-old brother Justin, underwent his first operation at six months old, after he was diagnosed.

The seven-hour surgery left a large scar across his head.

He then had three more operations that took place in the past eight months.

Miss Matthews said: 'It is heartbreaking seeing him go through it, and when he goes down to theatre it is so difficult.

'The last few years have been so difficult and extremely stressful and emotional, to say the least, but he has just been amazing through it all.

'When I first saw the incision they had to make it broke my heart, because his scar goes from ear to ear.'

The NHS says the main symptom of craniosynostosis is an irregular skull shape.

Other symptoms include a hard ridge developing along the tissues which connect bone in the skull or the soft spot on a baby's head disappearing or feeling different.

If the baby's head does not grow in proportion to the rest of the body, or if there is an increase in pressure in the skull, that could be another sign.

'When I first saw the incision they had to make it broke my heart, because his scar goes from ear to ear,' Miss Matthews said

'When I first saw the incision they had to make it broke my heart, because his scar goes from ear to ear,' Miss Matthews said

Miss Matthews praised her son and hailed him as an 'inspiration'.

She said: 'He is an inspiration. He bounces back after every surgery and is just one of the most positive children I have ever known. He takes it all in his stride and doesn't let it affect him at all.

'Me and my family have just been amazed about him through it all and how quickly he recovers. They call him an inspiration and adults wouldn't cope with what he has had to go through. He really is an amazing boy.' 

 

The comments below have been moderated in advance.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

We are no longer accepting comments on this article.