Meet the tot who has to wear a full body cast NON-STOP – or his crooked spine could crush his lungs
Charlie Ferris, 13 months, suffers with infantile scoliosis and wears the cast in a bid to straighten his severely twisted spine
A MUM has told how her young son must wear a full body cast every day in a bid to straighten his crooked spine – before it twists any more and crushes his lungs.
Little Charlie Ferris, 13 months, can’t even bathe whilst wearing the suit, so his mum Donna, 35, has to stand him in the sink and wash his skin with a flannel.
The toddler suffers with scoliosis – twisting of the spine – which was spotted after his dad Jody, 36, noticed his back bending strangely while he was winding him.
Now, Charlie’s determined parents have travelled over a whopping 19,500 miles – almost once around the world – to get Charlie fitted with the special cast that they hope will save him.
Donna, from County Tyrone, in Northern Ireland, said: "When I started researching Charlie's condition, I heard about a cast that's used in America that straightens curved spines, whereas the one used in Northern Ireland only holds the curve in place and stops it getting worse.
"When I told Jody that we needed to take Charlie to America to get this treatment, rather than stay at home, he asked if I was mad.'
"But I didn't care how much it cost. We'd live in a tent if needs be to pay for the treatment and getting there. I was prepared to move."
Donna and Jody first noticed their son's back was a "funny shape" October 2015.
They took him to the doctors where he underwent an X-ray and doctors said they suspected Charlie had a curved spine.
Then, at Belfast's Musgrave Park Hospital, he was officially diagnosed with infantile scoliosis, with a 28 degree curvature of the spin.
Donna recalled: "I was heartbroken and I cried for days,
"The doctors wanted to wait three months to see if the curve got worse.
"I was worried sick and prayed for a miracle and that he wouldn't need treatment."
In February this year, the family returned to hospital hoping for good news.
While Donna and Jody hoped there would be good news regarding their son's spine, sadly, it had twisted even further and was now at 42 degrees.
She continued: "I nearly collapsed. I was so angry we'd waited."
Doctors then said that Charlie would need to wear a plaster jacket for four months at a time - until he was old enough to be placed in to a hard, removable brace.
In time, he would also need to have metal rods implanted in to his back to straighten his spine.
However, Donna said she wasn't prepared to wait any longer, and began searching for alternative treatments online.
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It was then that she found out about Shriners Hospital for Children in Philidelphia, USA, who said they could treat him by fitting him with special casts until his spine was straight, for however long it would take - and regardless of whether they could pay.
In April, Donna flew her family, including her other three kids, Joey, nine, Rosie, seven, Tommy, five, over to America for a consultation.
Within eight days, Charlie had been fitted with a cast, which he wore for two months, when he got given a new one to wear.
Donna added: "The cast can't get wet as it would change the structure.
"We can't bath him at all but we top and tail him. He's pretty clean."
Charlie has also had to adjust his eating habits, with his parents feeding him little and often to make sure he doesn't gain weight, which would make his cast too tight.
Since his first fitting, the toddler and his parents have flown back to America twice more so that he can get larger casts that change as he grows.
Miraculously, the treatment appears to be working so far.
In only 16 weeks, little Charlie's spine has straightened by an impressive ten degrees.
Donna said: "We can't tell how many casts Charlie will need, but based on those figures, he could only need eight casts, meaning we're a quarter of the way towards a straight spine,
"We're so proud of him.
"I would have never thought there was anything better than what is offered here but when I found out there was, why wouldn't I have taken my baby across the water to get him the best?
"What Shriners Hospital has done for Charlie means the world to us and at the end of his treatment we'd like to give them a donation as a thank you."
To help with the family's fundraising, visit