A furious mum has hit out at bullies who mocked her young son's life-saving surgery scars. Leo Hutchinson, from Ely in Cardiff, was born with a very rare congenital condition called sagittal craniosynostosis which caused his skull to fuse prematurely and crush parts of his brain.
He was barely eight months old when he underwent a nine-hour operation at Birmingham Children's Hospital to remove, break apart, and piece back together his cranium. Without that risky procedure, during which he could have easily bled out on the table or contracted a serious infection like meningitis, Leo would likely have been left blind or severely brain damaged.
But, aside from another operation two years later to relieve swelling of the optic nerve, he's since enjoyed a clean bill of health. Only a large scar running from ear to ear belies the impression he's anything other than a normal happy 10-year-old with a love of cars and football.
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However after a recent trip to the local barber to get a haircut prior to starting a new term at Herbert Thompson Primary School Leo was abused in the street by a group of teenagers. They laughed at the marks on his head and asked the year six pupil if "he'd had those lines shaved into his hair on purpose".
"Leo's dad had just taken him for trim to get him ready for school starting up again," said his mother Georgia, 28. "After they came out of the shop though this gang of idiots walked past and went: 'Ewww, look at his haircut – did you pay someone to do that to you'?
"Honestly it broke his little heart and he spent the rest of the day with his hoodie up. It's the first time in his life he's ever felt self-conscious about his scars.
"We've always taught him to wear them like a badge of pride to show the world what a fighter he is. Then along come these stupid thoughtless morons and undo all that."
Georgia added that she wanted to make those responsible understand the effect their words had on her little boy. "If those people are reading this then I just want them to know that kindness costs nothing and if you can't think of anything nice to say then don't say anything at all," she said.
"You've no idea what my son's been through and the struggles he's had to face to get to this point. I hope you feel horrible for what you did and I pray you never have to go through anything as hard in your own lives."
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