A baby boy who was once given only a small chance of surviving after a pioneering facial operation has just celebrated his first birthday.

The odds were stacked against Noah Connell from the moment he was born, with his mum, Jade Gordon, not even knowing she was pregnant.

He was born with several rare congenital differences, including an underdeveloped jaw, a small neck, a floppy airway, a cleft palate, and part of his spine missing.

Noah’s condition was so serious that even swallowing his own saliva or other liquids could place his life at risk.

Surgeons carried out a groundbreaking operation on March 8, giving Noah the opportunity to celebrate his first birthday.

“It is a massive milestone for us and Noah,” his mum, Ms Gordon, from Robroyston, Glasgow, said.

She added: “We were told on numerous occasions that Noah might not make it.

“For any family, a baby’s first birthday is a huge milestone, but it means even more to us because we have overcome so many challenges.”

Surgeons performed a mandibular jaw distraction on Noah, carefully separating his jaw and inserting metal rods to support the bones.

This allowed them to reshape his jaw and move his tongue forward, helping him breathe more easily and reducing the risk of choking.

Despite the operation, Noah recently faced another frightening health scare.

His mum added: “Last weekend Noah became unwell and choked, turned purple, and stopped breathing for between 10 and 30 seconds.”

He recovered after being taken to the hospital.

Ms Gordon, who cares for Noah full-time, said: “We couldn’t believe it when they told us Noah would be the first baby in the world to have this operation.

“It was overwhelming to hear that, but we trusted them.”

Noah, who is fed through a gastrostomy tube, will have the metal supports removed from his face next month.

He now lives at home with his mum and dad, Kieran Connell.

Source:  Metro