A BRECHIN toddler is making remarkable progress after local charities stepped in to fund treatment refused by the NHS.

Seven-month-old Ar’den Wallace suffers from plagiocephaly—commonly called flat-head syndrome—a condition caused when the plates of the skull fail to fuse properly, leaving the skull misshapen.

While not life threatening it can prove traumatic for youngsters as they grow up.

However NHS doctors claimed that the specially- tailored helmet which might correct the shape of Ar’den’s head was a cosmetic treatment with a questionable success rate.

It left mum Dawn and her partner David facing a £5000 bill for the helmet and the costs of fortnightly travel to London for adjustments as Ar’den grows.

Cash For Kids heard of the family’s plight and was first to step in with support.

Last night the local masonic lodge, St James 123, added £500 to the pot.

Dawn told members of the lodge that since Ar’den was fitted with her helmet a fortnight ago her improvement has been tremendous.

“Already the side of her head is normal and the back is also improving. We have caught it early when it is easier to fix,” she said.

Ar’den wears her helmet 23 hours a day.

“She is coping with it really well,” said her mum.

“In fact when it was fitted it was her twin sister Carmen who started to scream.

“I find it remarkable that the NHS will not fund the treatment. We were told that if the problem did not right itself there was an operation that could be done when Ar’den was a year old in which the plates in her skull would be split and her head remoulded.”

“It seems strange the NHS won’t meet the cost of the helmet treatment, which must surely be cheaper and is certainly less intrusive,” she added.

Ar’den’s twin sister shows early signs of the same problem but a range of exercises for her will ensure it does not persist.

The lodge has also given Diane Jack and daughter Laura £250 each for this weekend’s Run For Life in Dundee.