This Adorable Baby Boy's Rare Condition Has Made Him A "Real-Life Pinocchio" Birmingham Children's Hospital

Ollie Trezise, before his surgery to remove the sac of brain fluid on his nose
A little boy whose brain grew inside his nose has been described as the 'real-life Pinocchio' by his proud mum.

Adorable Ollie Trezise was born with a rare condition which caused his brain to grow through a crack in his skull into his nose - making it stick out like the Disney character, Pinocchio .

As the lad grew, so did his nose - forcing the 21-month-old to undergo several painful operations to enable him to breathe.

But his mum, Amy Poole, 22, says the brave tot is now bombarded with cruel comments from strangers , who say he is 'ugly' and 'should never have been born'.

Meet Ollie Trezise. A beautiful 21-month-old boy from Maesteg, Wales with a condition that has made him one of the most adorable babies you will ever lay your eyes on.

Ollie has encephalocele, a condition that causes his brain to grow through his nose. The baby boy has been dubbed a real-life Pinocchio by his mother, Amy Poole, but not everyone has seen him that way.

Poole, 22, is sharing her son's story to raise awareness about his condition, which has caused bullying by not just children, but adults as well who have called the boy, "ugly." I don't know what they're smoking, but clearly we have very different versions of what's adorable.

Poole first noticed the condition during her 20-week ultrasound. Doctors noticed an unexpected growth of soft tissue on the baby's nose. Even with some preparation, it was still a surprise when he was born with a large lump on his nose in February of 2014.

"He was so tiny, but there was this enormous golf-ball sized lump on his nose," she told Mirror Online. "At first I wasn't sure how I would cope. But I knew that I would love him no matter what he looked like."

Ollie then had an MRI, where doctors confirmed that he had a rare condition: encephalocele. Due to a crack in his skull, Ollie's brain continued to grow in a sac through his nose. As Ollie continued to grow over the next nine months, so did his nose.

The condition can cause severe problems, including developmental delay, buildup of fluid in the brain, difficulty walking and seizures. It effects about one in 10,000 babies born in the United States, or about 375 each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Usually, the brain grows in a sac at the back of the head. But with Ollie's brain growing through his nose, the condition also disrupted his ability to breathe. So naturally, doctors told Poole they needed to operate.

"I was so scared to let Ollie undergo such major surgery. He was so fragile, and I couldn't bear the thought of losing him," Poole said. "But doctors explained that he was at risk of contracting an infection or even meningitis if he tripped and knocked his nose — so I agreed to the surgery." The result of the surgery was amazing.

Full-time mum-of-two Amy, from Maesteg, Wales, said: "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. He is my little real-life Pinocchio and I couldn't be prouder of him."Amy first discovered that something was different abut Ollie at her 20-week scan, when doctors told her he had unexpected soft tissue growing on his face.However, she was still shocked when she gave birth to him at Cardiff University Hospital in February 2014. 

Amy, who has since split from Ollie's dad, 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." 

An MRI scan later confirmed that the lump was an encephalocele, which is a defect that causes the brain to grow through a hole in the skull , creating a protruding sac.

In Ollie's case the sac had grown on his nose, causing it to stick out. 

Due to the rarity of the condition, treatment is only available at Birmingham and three other specialist centres in the UK: Great Ormond Street, Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool and The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. Amy said: "After the operation, Ollie had a huge zig-zag scar across his head. He must have been in so much pain, but he just kept smiling and laughing. "His positivity made it so much easier for me." Now fully recovered, Ollie is a bubbly little boy who loves splashing in his paddling pool and playing with his four-year-old sister, Annabelle.