Fundraiser to help little Jaxon

Family of 10-month-old diagnosed with Flat Head Syndrome raising funds to buy a helmet to correct his head shape

A Peterborough mum is planning a special fundraising day so she can buy a special helmet for her baby son.

Bright-eyed, 10-month-old Jaxon Joslin has been diagnosed with Flat Head Syndrome after months of delays in appointments due to the pandemic.

Now his family is banding together to fundraise for the helmets he needs to correct his head shape.

Stay at home mum, Katrina McCann noticed her little boy’s head changes when he was about a month and a half.

After consulting with her midwife she was reassured and told to keep an eye on her son.

Katrina noticed Jaxon’s head was getting larger so she changed how he laid and bought new pillows but to no avail. Jaxon had been referred to a specialist but after a few months of hearing nothing, concerned mum Katrina mentioned it again to her GP.

She said: “We didn’t hear anything just that he was on a waiting list, so we went back to the doctors before Christmas and mentioned to the GP who re-referred him.’’

Finally, Jaxon was diagnosed with Flat Head Syndrome (FHS) which came as a shock to the family.

Katrina, who lives in Stanground, said: “I was in disbelief that he would need a helmet. I thought they would say he would grow out of it. It’s on one side of the back of his head and it pushes his face forward as well.

“The NHS don’t fund helmets but I didn’t think they didn’t help families out at all.”

Jaxon is undergoing investigations for other health issues, his next appointment on the NHS will be when he is 14 months old.

For Katrina that is ‘too late’, as research has shown if children with FHS reach 1214 months old without treatment, the skull hardens so it cannot be treated without surgery. She said: “I am panicking to come back in three months’ time as he will then be 14 months old. I’ve done some research and we’ve found somewhere in Cambridge who do the helmets.

“It’s panic stations for me to try and find the money and I won’t know how severe it will be until his 3D scan comes back. My family are helping us to save but we have a short span of time.

Katrina’s sister Teri has set up a gofundme to help raise £2,600 to go towards the appointments, helmet and travel expenses. The fundraising day takes place on the February 20 from 1pm at The Whittle Way pub in Stanground. The family fun day will include raffles, stalls and a sponsored waxing from Jaxon’s dad.

Jaxon Joslin