Since birth my 6-months old son Marcel suffers with a mixture of congenital and positional severe plagiocephaly (a condition in which a baby’s skull is flattened on one side of the back of the head).
After recent visit in specialist clinic we have discovered that apart from usual signs of this condition (Flattening on one side of the back of his head) he started to develop more serious symptoms ( his ear is being pushed forward to the side of his head and slightly uneven cheekbones and eye sockets)

This type of condition could lead to serious complications in his future life including:

· Full or bulging fontanelle (soft spot located on the top of the head)
· Sleepiness (or less alert than usual)
· Increased irritability
· Poor feeding
· increased pressure inside the head
· Seizures
· Bulging eyes and an inability of the child to look upward with the head facing forward
· Developmental delays
Most babies with this condition require only minor treatment such as sleep repositioning (so that the baby moves his head more often) and increased “tummy time” to improve neck strength and range of motion, however after trying all of these we have found out that his condition requires more serious treatment which is either:
- Surgery before age of 1 to open top open skull for normal skull and brain growth
- Cranial moulding using helmet to reshape the skull
For obvious parental reasons we want to avoid the surgery which leaves us with the cranial helmet to be moulded. Marcel would have to wear it for 23 hours a day for the period of at least 6 months until his skull reshapes to satisfactory level.
Unfortunately NHS experts class Plagiocephaly as cosmetic condition not requiring treatment – here is the quote from NHS website on Plagiocephaly topic:
“More severe cases will also get better over time, although some flattening will usually remain.
As your child becomes more mobile and their hair grows, the appearance of their head should improve. It's very rare for a child to experience problems such as teasing when they reach school age.” which is not fair considering today’s young society focusing mainly on perfect look and ideal shape.
The cost of Marcel’s treatment (cranial helmet)is £1950 and since the treatment isn’t fundable on the NHS this is where my request comes to you.