Zara Ransley, 31 years old, had been struggling to fund the treatment for her son, Roman, who was suffering from Torticollis, a condition in which the boy’s head hangs on either side of his body due to his inability to fully support or turn it properly. Zara is now relieved that they were able to garner enough support and cash, KentLive News reports.
Zara and her husband, Royston, who’s a mental health worker, created a fundraising page for the boy when they were given the bill amounting to more than $2,000 for a special helmet that could correct the baby’s “flat head.” Roman, seven months old, had to sleep on the same side of his face. This could lead to Plagiocephaly or flat head syndrome.
Roman has to wear the special helmet for 23 hours a day for six months in order to fully correct the shape of his head before the skull finally settles and fuses with his brain. The helmet, unfortunately, is not covered by their national health insurance because of it being under the category of cosmetic.
Zara, who’s from Ramsgate, said, “We started today (December 4) with two hours on and one off, then tomorrow it will be eight hours on and 30 minutes off and then Roman will have naps and be going to bed in it so by the weekend he will be wearing it almost the whole time.
"Because most of his head is covered he can't lose any heat so we have to put a layer less of clothing on him. It is something as a family we will need to get used to.”
Roman will go through physiotherapy at William Harvey Hospital in Ashford for the endurance of the muscles in his neck. Zara, who’s other child Jazmine is four years old, shared that she had to do everything just to get her boy the proper treatment.
Zara said, “I went to the GP and was dismissed as an over-anxious mum but I just knew something was wrong. In the end, it was my health visitor who referred us to the physiotherapist and he said I was right. It was upsetting to hear but I want mums to know that they need to trust how they feel.
"I knew because Jazmine has the same thing but I believed it when I was told she would grow out of it. She hasn't but she has a crazy mass of curly hair so you can't tell."
Flat head syndrome means that the baby has head deformed either to the back or the side of its head. This could be due to sleeping positions.
