A mother is trying to raise money for her five-month year old baby boy who needs a specialist helmet to help his ‘severely flat head’ grow correctly.
Christina Hall, who is originally from Wallasey, says her son, Tommy, was diagnosed with a severe case of Plagiocephaly and Blachycephaly meaning his head grows flat.
Now Christina is fundraising to get Tommy a specialist helmet that will allow Tommy’s head to grow correctly.
Christina said: “I’ve tried everything I can to try and prevent it from getting worse.
“I tried folding a muslin cloth under his head, but he would just turn it the other way because he has tight muscles on the left side of his neck, so it was uncomfortable for him to keep his head turned that way.
“This is what has caused the left part of his head to go flat.
“The doctors told me it would fix itself, but I have tried to prevent it from when he was two months old, and it’s progressively gotten worse.”
Tommy was born premature at 36 weeks old meaning the bones in his head were softer than usual.
The condition has left Tommy with misaligned ears and the left side of his head protruding more than the right.
Christina, says that although the severity of Tommy’s condition is off the scale, the NHS do not offer the specialist caps as it is cosmetic.
Speaking of when she found out the procedure was cosmetic, she said: “If I didn’t laugh, I would have cried!
“I thought this is ridiculous.
“Doctors told me his hair will grow and cover his head, but I thought eventually when he’s older he will have his hair cut also what about if he needs glasses or when it comes to wearing a bike helmet?”
Christina, who has four other children, says she felt guilty when finding out about Tommy’s diagnosis.
She said: “When I first found out I wasn’t shocked because I had researched it when I first started to notice something was different.
“But when it was confirmed, I felt gutted and had so much mum guilt.
“I felt like it was my fault because as much as I had tried, it was my responsibility to prevent it.”
Christina visited a specialist clinic called Technology in Motion where they offer specialist treatments for Plagiocephaly and Blachycephaly.
There Christina found that Tommy needed a Timband Helmet for at least 12 weeks.
She said: “I spoke to my husband and we said £2,500 is a lot of money that we don’t have.
“But I couldn’t sit here and leave him hoping for the best because once they get past 15 months you can’t do anything then.”
Christina set up a gofundme page where she has managed to raise £2,350 so far towards Tommy’s specialist helmet.
She said: “It’s absolutely amazing.
“I am overwhelmed by the support from people.
“I wish I could thank everyone personally from the bottom of my heart.”
Due to the severity of Tommy’s condition, there is a chance his might need further treatment if he outgrows the first helmet.
Christina said: “Hopefully with him being so young we can speed up the healing process.
“The faster we get it the less chance his has of needing another one.
“Obviously my main concern is getting Tommy the treatment as soon as possible as that makes his recovery quicker.”
To visit Tommy's gofundme page click here.
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