Little Noah was born with just two per cent brain function and spina bifida, but he has amazed medical professionals by surviving against the odds, and now his family will document his remarkable progress.

The four-year-old’s condition left him unable to move his legs from the chest down and in need of a permanent head drain to help manage fluid around his brain. But in an extraordinary development, scans showed that his brain had grown and was now functioning almost fully.

Doctors at Newcastle’s Great North Children’s Hospital had never expected such a result. Now, Noah’s documentary, charting his journey from having almost no brain function to achieving remarkable progress, will share his story with a wider audience.

Parents Shelly, 44, and Rob, 50, from Abbeytown, Cumbria, were warned that their unborn son was unlikely to survive birth after doctors discovered that a significant portion of the back of his brain was missing. They were also told to prepare for the possibility that he would be unable to move his legs.

According to the Chronicle, Noah has continued to defy medical expectations. Scans of his brain are now being used by medical researchers to help improve understanding of spina bifida. Mum-of-three Shelly said: “They have no idea if his brain function will grow even further, but they are astonished by what they have seen so far.”

Despite his incredible progress, Noah relies on a special wheelchair, known as a Zip-Zac, to get around. The low-lying chair costs £1,000 and was, last year, at the centre of a difficult incident when the Wall family visited Harrods in London.

Shelly was left shocked when she was stopped from taking Noah into the department store because security staff did not believe his wheelchair was genuine.

Noah’s sister, Steph, 23, picked him up and showed the security guard that he could not move his legs. The store later offered an apology for what it described as an “unintentional error in judgement”.

The family then used money donated to Noah to purchase two similar chairs for Ward 1B of the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle. “We wanted to be able to give other children in the same position that sense of independence.”

Shelly said: “These chairs are becoming more commonplace now, and they are so important for children in Noah’s position.”

The youngster can also move around using special braces attached to his legs.

Shelly and Rob say they are amazed by how far their little boy has come after undergoing six operations.

“We know he will face more surgery,” said Shelly. “But he is such a remarkable little boy who has already come so far.”

Source: The Mirror