Boy's skull put back together 'like a jigsaw' after life-saving operation by Yorkshire doctors

Beau Harrison was diagnosed with craniosynostosis when he was just 18 months old. The rare condition, affecting one in 2,500 babies, is caused when joints in the skull fuse together too early, meaning there is not enough room for the brain to grow.

If left untreated, it can crush parts of the brain, leading to an unusually-shaped head, learning difficulties, eye problems and, in rare cases, death. During Beau's painstaking 11-hour operation this year, surgeons at Sheffield Children's Hospital dismantled and rebuilt his skull piece-by-piece.

The procedure created a gap in his skull to allow his brain to grow properly. The toddler is expected to make a full recovery following the surgery, which has left him with a giant zig-zag scar across his head.

Doctors first realised something was wrong just days after Beau was born and treated him for hydrocephalus, or excess fluid on the brain. Surgeons inserted a shunt into his head when he was days old.

His mother, Shannon Wong, 27, of Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, said: "There are no words to describe how I felt, but after a two-and-a-half week stay in the hospital and multiple infections, he was discharged. I thought everything would get better after that, but within a week we were back being told he had fluid on his brain. He was initially diagnosed with hydrocephalus, so they had to perform emergency surgery to insert a shunt."

Beau's health deteriorated and he started suffering from seizures so underwent more tests which revealed the real cause of his symptoms.

Mother-of-three Shannon, an early years practioner, added: "He went from being the happiest little boy in the world to being really grumpy and refusing the eat. He was barely sleeping either, so we took him back to the hospital where we found out the shunt had failed. He was sent to Sheffield Children's Hospital for more tests.

"I can't even put into words how I felt when they told us he had craniosynostosis. 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.

"He went through an 11-hour surgery where doctors broke his skull into several pieces and used dissolvable metal plates to expand it and fuse it back together like a jigsaw. 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.

"The recovery was really difficult and now we've just got to take each day as it comes. I was terrified that something might go wrong, but he was amazing. Beau is just the happiest boy in the world, he is so cheeky and loves literally anything with wheels. His absolute favourites are motorbikes, quad bikes and excavators.

"I am so proud of him. The strength and determination he has shown is incredible. Beau never complains about anything and takes it all in his stride. Seeing him deal with it all so well keeps me going."