This cute toddler with 73cm brain receives lifesaving help from strangers (photos)

This cute toddler with 73cm brain receives lifesaving help from strangers (photos)

- A boy was born with craniosynostosis, which made him develop hydrocephalus

- This condition made his brain abnormally large

- But a kind stranger allowed him to undergo lifesaving surgery, which his family could not afford

A boy from Pakistani, born with both craniosynostosis and hydrocephalus, was helped by strangers to undergo a life-saving surgery in the U.S.

The most dire consequence of Ibtisam Faisal’s condition is an extremely enlarged brain, due to the fluid build-up inside his brain. His skull was measuring around 73 cm by the time of his operation.

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Due to his large head, Ibtisam could sleep with his eyes closed or move freely.

Doctors in Pakistan had been treating him, but his only chance to survive was the U.S. surgery. Ibtisam does not have economic resources, so a campaign was launched in order to gather the necessary funds. And then, an anonymous person pitched in, and covered mom and son’s travel costs to Dallas, where the 20-month old toddler was recently operated.

“It's hard for any parent to see their baby growing up unable to do anything but lay on a bed [and] to live a dual life in the same house - behaving totally normal and emotionally available for my healthy son and being cautious, heartbroken and stressed for my ailing son,” Mrs Faisal said. Her other child is Ibtisam’s twin.

Craniosynostosis causes the development of an abnormally shaped head from pressure within the skull, due to premature fusion of its different parts. One area is prevented from growing, which makes other sections become overgrown. This condition affects around one in every 1,800 to 3,000 children.

Ibtisam’s condition became more complicated due to the fact that he also developed hydrocephalus after a delay in treatment for his craniosynostosis. With this other condition, cerebrospinal fluid builds up in the brain. The excess liquid puts more pressure on the skull.

Ibtisam with his mom.

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This baby has suffered headache, nausea, vomiting and problems with vision in his short life. “We will never be able to repay our anonymous benefactor or thank him enough,” his mother exclaimed on a recent interview, adding that she has received much “love and support” in the U.S.

Ibtisam already underwent an Anterior Cranial Vault remodeling (CVR) to correct his skull in March, and will have have more procedures in the next months, to allow him a better development.

Here is another poignant case of a baby with craniosynostosis:

Watch this video below with Seyi Shay: