PINOCCHIO-LIKE BABY BORN WITH BRAIN IN HIS NOSE

Meet a real-life Pinocchio who was born with a rare condition causing his brain grew into his nose in Maesteg, Wales, UK.

Ollie Trezise was born with a soft tissue on his nose, which is appeared to be his own brain that had grown through a crack in his skull. The defect is known as encephalocele that is characterized by sac-like protrusions of the brain through openings in the foetus’ skull.

His  22-year-old mother Amy Poole said: “When they gave me Ollie to hold, I was so surprised that I almost couldn’t speak. He was so tiny, but there was this enormous golf-ball sized lump on his nose. At first I wasn’t sure how I would cope. But I knew that I would love him no matter what he looked like.

When Ollie was almost two years old he had to undergo several complex operations that closed the gap in his skull and allowed him to breath properly. Ollie has had several operations to fix the opening in his skull, causing part of the brain to grow through the gap

Although the toddler has now fully recovered he has regular check-ups at hospital, where doctors monitor his brain development to decide whether he needs further surgery or not.

It’s absolutely heart-breaking. Once, a woman told me I should never have given birth to him. I nearly burst into tears. To me, Ollie is perfect. There is nothing wrong with being different.
 Ollie is a unique, clever, funny little boy and he amazes me every day. He is my special little Pinocchio, and I will never stop loving him,

Amy added.

Encephaloceles occur rarely, at a rate of one per 5,000 live births worldwide. Ethnic, genetic, and environmental factors, as well as parental age, can all affect the likelihood of encephaloceles.