Boy defies doctors predictions despite being born with half of his brain missing

ENGLAND: Beaming Jake Gladstone looks like any other four-year-old as he plays happily in the garden.

But this little boy has been defying medical predictions since he was born with nearly half his brain missing.

Jake was six months old when the rare condition was discovered and doctors warned his parents to be prepared for him never being able to walk or talk.

Yet just before his first birthday Jake pulled himself up and managed to shuffle around the family home.

A year later he took his first tentative steps and soon uttered his first words.

Mum Sarah said: “It is just ­unbelievable. When we look at Jake’s X-rays we can see the big space where half of his brain has died off.

“But he’s full of energy and runs around just like other children his age. He’s defied all the doctors’ predictions. He is behind in his speech, but other than that he can walk and run too. He’s our little miracle.”

Jake was born weighing 6lb 12oz at the Hull and East Yorkshire Women and Children’s Hospital in September 2009. When he was a week old he went floppy and was rushed back to hospital but doctors thought he had a ­picked up a virus and sent him home.

Six months later Sarah noticed Jake wasn’t using his right arm. His hand was constantly clenched.

She said: “He hadn’t been an easy baby since he’d first gone back to hospital at a week old. He was constantly crying and had been difficult to settle for months.

“Then I noticed he wasn’t using his arm ­properly so I took him to see our GP.”

The family doctor ­referred him to hospital for an MRI scan. A week later specialists told his parents the bombshell diagnosis.

Jake had cystic ­encephalomalacia, which meant nearly half of his brain had been killed off before he was born.

Doctors believe Jake had a stroke in the womb that stopped oxygen being supplied to his brain. Cysts ­developed where it had been damaged.

Sarah, 35, and Jake’s dad Paul, 41, were devastated by the news.

She said: “I was so shocked when they told me what was the matter with him. Only half of his brain was working, the other half was completely dead.

“I couldn’t understand how he could only have half a brain and yet he was living a normal life.”

Because Jake’s case was so rare, ­doctors didn’t know what the future would hold for him.

Sarah said: “It was devastating. I couldn’t believe that I might never hear him speak or watch him running around the garden playing football.”

But despite his illness, Jake’s parents have been able to watch him reach the magic moments all parents treasure.

Sarah said: “We were delighted by his progress, especially as Jake had also been diagnosed with epilepsy.

“Sadly this does mean that he suffers from fits but thankfully they only last for a few seconds.”

“He has reached his developmental ­milestones later than other children his age but when he took his first steps I thought my heart would burst with pride.”

Then he spoke for the first time. Sarah said: “He pointed to my glass and said ‘orange’. I couldn’t believe it. He was walking and talking. It seemed like a miracle.”

Jake takes medication for his small epileptic fits and his speech is continuing to improve as he grows older.

Sarah said “He has developmental delay and is currently at age of two to three years in his speech – which is terrific considering we were told he would never speak.

“He has surprised us all, so no doubt he will carry on surprising us.

Paediatrician Dr Gail Herman, from The Children’s Trust, which specialises in youngsters with brain injuries, said: “This is usually a devastating disease.

"This little boy has done remarkably well which is due to one side of his brain being healthy. It has retrained itself to compensate for the side which doesn’t work, allowing him to do the things he does.”

Jake has to be constantly watched because of his ­epilepsy and needs help getting dressed and eating.

Both Paul, a police inspector, and Sam, a constable, work full-time in Hull. Jake goes to nursery and is also looked after by Sam’s dad. The boy is due to start at a mainstream school in September but will need a one-to-one assistant to help him along.

The couple say Jake, their only child, plays with other youngsters despite ­struggling to communicate and they hope his speech will continue to improve.

Sarah said: “His speech is behind other children but he is continuing to make progress. We have to watch him as he can fall over when he has seizures.

“Once he fell over in the garden and broke his arm because of it. But he’s such a happy little boy and he’s always laughing and ­smiling. He doesn’t let it hold him back.”

Paul said: “We are so proud of Jake. Watching him grow and develop each day just seems like a miracle to us. He’s doing so many things that we never thought he would do.

“He surprises us each day with how well he is doing.”

-Mirror