22-year-old Amy Poole of England was 20 weeks pregnant when doctors found something strange about the baby she was carrying.
A scan showed unusual growth of soft tissue on his nose which was morphing into a lump.
An MRI was done to further determine what was happening, which confirmed that the lump was an encephalocele.
Encephalocele is a rare condition which causes parts of the brain to protrude through irregular openings in the skull, this is why his brain grows through his nose.
Though Amy was scared at first she was just relieved the lump found was not cancerous.
Amy told the Daily Mail, “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.”
She adds, “At first I wasn’t sure how I would cope. But I knew that I would love him no matter what he looked like.”
Overcoming with optimism
Amy fondly calls 21-month-old Ollie her ‘real life Pinocchio’.
He has undergone some painful operations to correct the defect and to help him breathe properly.
He is currently preparing for more reconstructive surgery as well as some dental work to align his teeth, reports BBC news.
Sadly, not everyone is sympathetic with Ollie’s plight. Amy told BBC that her little boy suffered ‘pathetic abuse’ and bullying directed at him from strangers.
These strangers would taunt the boy with rude comments.
“I feel like I’m boiling, but I stay calm. I don’t actually act on anything. I take the higher ground,” she shares with BBC.
Despite all of this, Amy remains optimistic that her son will overcome all of this and grow up health and happy.