Derbyshire family's fundraising bid to cure baby of flat-head syndrome

Evie Korbiel was diagnosed with brachycephaly – a form of flat-head syndrome – when she was seven months old. The condition is caused when babies sleep on their back every night leading to the soft skull becoming flattened.

Her parents Emma Skidmore, 29 and fiancé Patrick Korbiel, 25, feared that without treatment, Evie’s jaw and ear alignment could be permanently affected.

A health visitor told them Evie’s head should return to a normal shape but the condition has got worse and now her ears and facial features appear lopsided.

The worried couple, from Derby, were told the only way to cure the condition was for Evie to wear a special £3,000 helmet 23 hours a day. Their GP said the NHS does not cover the treatment because it is considered “cosmetic”. Emma and Patrick have now set up a GoFundMe appeal in a desperate bid to raise the cash before Evie’s skull fully fuses.

Mum-of-two Emma said: “We noticed her head was different from about three months old, it was starting to make her roll as her head was so heavy. Fast forward to six months and the back of her head is completely flat. I took her to the GP as my partner was saying it shouldn’t be like that.

“I took her to the GP, they said it should sort itself out in most cases. They said they would refer her to the NHS but they wouldn’t do anything as they won’t cover it. She was a completely happy, healthy baby born normally. From three months she had a flat spot on her side of her head.

“We asked our health care advisor about her one-sided flat head and she said it would solve itself over time. Her face started to change not because she was growing because of the milk but because of the condition, she was still beautiful.

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“Last month we took her to the GP to ask if her head shape is ok as her head is completely flat from the back. One ear is higher than the other. The top of her head has moved forward. Her ears are moving around to the front. It is really common and the NHS tell you to put them to sleep on their back to avoid sudden infant death syndrome.

“The diagnosed it and said the NHS doesn’t fund this as it’s cosmetic. They said it won’t affect her development. I've also read success stories from people who’ve used the helmet. If your ears are off your balance is off. It doesn’t help her rolling.”

According to the NHS, one in five babies have either brachycephaly or plagiocephaly. The two combined are known as "flat-head syndrome".