Paisley Morrison-Johnson was born with a tongue the size of an adult’s. The oversized muscle kept her from smiling and feeding, and threatened to choke her at any moment.
Paisley was diagnosed with Beckwith Wiedemann syndrome (BWS), an overgrowth problem that parts of the body to grow much faster than normal.
For Paisley, this meant that she was born with a tongue that was twice the size it should have been.
In the first six months of Paisley’s life, she had to be fed through a tube in her stomach, because her tongue kept her from being able to feed properly. Her parents could only watch helplessly as their daughter’s tongue grew more and more.
It was always lolling out of Paisley’s mouth, and the young girl was constantly chewing on it because it took up so much room.
Paisley’s doctors took some time to monitor and stabilize her health before deciding to surgically remove part of her tongue.
Their initial surgery, unfortunately, was unsuccessful. The removed part of her tongue simply grew back over the next four months.
It took a second surgery, one that removed more than six inches of muscle, for Paisley’s tongue to return to its normal size.
Paisley’s parents fondly remember their daughter’s recovery. Although it took many months for their daughter to heal, it was an extremely rewarding time because it was the first time her parents had ever seen their daughter smile.
“I couldn't believe it and was shocked by how beautiful my little girl looked,” her mother admitted. “Being able to see her smile is absolutely huge for us and now she's not even having difficulties eating which is a massive relief.
“She's like a completely new baby - her facial features look different, she smiles a lot and she has even getting close to saying her first words. She couldn't even make the sounds to say words like 'mama' and 'dada' before because of the size of her tongue so this feels like a massive achievement."
Now, 16-month-old Paisley can finally close her mouth, feed, and smile like any other child. She’s also finally making her first coherent sounds, and her parents are hopeful that she will be able to begin speaking soon.
Her doctors noted, “She seems like a very happy baby and is being well taken care of, so we're really confident about her future.”
