'Doctors broke my baby's skull and pieced it back together to save his life'
When little Beau Harrison was first born, doctors immediately knew that something wasn't right.
The tot was initially believed to be suffering from hydrocephalus - a condition which causes a build-up of fluid around the brain - and was treated by having a shunt inserted into his head.
After a two-and-a-half-week stay fraught with multiple infections, Beau was discharged, and his mum, Shannon Wong, thought everything would improve.
But Beau's health deteriorated and he began suffering from seizures, sparking more tests in hospital - which revealed the real cause of his symptoms.
Shannon was heartbroken when her poorly baby only got worse and worse (Shannon Wong / SWNS)
Beau's skull had to be broken and pieced back together to save his life (Shannon Wong / SWNS)"He went from being the happiest little boy in the world to being really grumpy and refusing to eat," mum-of-three Shannon said. "He was barely sleeping either, so we took him back to the hospital where we found out the shunt had failed."
Baby boy has spent his life in hospital as doctors are 'scared' to discharge him
The family were sent to Sheffield Children's Hospital, where Beau was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a rare condition that affects one in 2,500 babies. It's caused when joints in the skull fuse together too early, meaning there's not enough room for the brain to grow.
If left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain and cause an unusually-shaped head, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death. "I can't even put into words how I felt when they told us he had craniosynostosis," Shannon, 27, explained.
He was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, which meant his brain had no room to grow (Shannon Wong / SWNS)
It is a rare condition that only affects one in 2,500 babies in the UK (Shannon Wong / SWNS)"It's not something we had ever experienced or had any idea about. It's also quite rare with only four hospitals in the country specialising in the treatment."
Beau was 18-months-old when he underwent a painstaking 11-hour operation to dismantle and rebuild his skull piece-by-piece. The procedure created a gap in his skull to allow his brain to grow and develop properly.
"Doctors broke his skull into several pieces and used dissolvable metal plates to expand it and fuse it back together like a jigsaw," Shannon explained. "It's so painful giving your child over to surgeons and putting your trust in them that they'll come out the other side safely."
Beau has been left with a zig-zag scar across his head but is recovering well (Shannon Wong / SWNS)
The little tot is back playing with toy motorbikes and tucking into chocolate (Shannon Wong / SWNS)Thankfully, the surgery was a success and has left two-year-old Beau with a giant zig-zag scar across his head. "The recovery was really difficult and now we've just got to take each day as it comes," Shannon, of Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, said.
"I was terrified that something might go wrong, but he was amazing. Beau never complains about anything and takes it all in his stride. I am so proud of him. The strength and determination he has shown is incredible."
Beau, who lives motorbikes, quad bikes and excavators - or "literally anything with wheels" - is back being the happiest boy in the world with a cheeky little personality. "Seeing him deal with it all so well keeps me going," Shannon added.
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