A MOTHER of a baby boy who wears a special helmet to prevent his face from being deformed is trying to raise funds for his treatment.

One-year-old Heartlon Richmond was born 16 weeks premature and suffers from a rare condition called plagiocephaly, which has caused his head to be misshapen. The condition led to Heartlon’s face beginning to distort and fall forward from birth.

Doctors told his mum, Amber, 22, his deformity would get worse and a special helmet was needed to help prevent his face from falling further. Costing £2,400, the mother-of-three spent every penny she had and has to find a further £1,000 to pay for check ups at the Technology in Motion plagiocephaly clinic in Manchester.

Miss Richmond. who cares for her son full-time, said: “Heartlon was very poorly when he was born. He was in hospital for the first four months of his life.

“As well as his misshapen head, he also has chronic lung disease, a hernia and a hole in his heart.

“Doctors told me his face position was off the charts, and this helmet was the only way of bringing that back. I managed to raise the money and get him the helmet, and within two weeks his reading was brought back onto the chart, into the ‘red zone’.

“We hope to get him down into the ‘orange zone’ but his face will never be in the yellow or green, like your face or mine.

“I’m having to try to find cash to pay for his regular appointments and check ups. He has to have the helmet altered to keep it comfortable.

“It’s so expensive and it’s very hard to raise the money.

“It’s been very difficult on myself and my three kids. I don’t have a lot of family to support me.

“I need to find the money to keep getting him treatment. I don’t know what will happen if I can’t afford to keep paying for it.

“I can’t let my kid’s beautiful face become deformed.”

Funding can be donated by visiting www.gofundme.com/heartlons-helmet-treatment.