After Teddy Ward’s tragic fall, doctors told him he would have to wear a helmet for the rest of his life. But now, the seven-year-old boy from California gets a second chance with a 3-D printed skull.
“This was a remarkable defect,” Dr. Mark Urata told CBS. “It was close to 50 per cent of his skull that was gone.”
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According to the news station, Ward fell down an 8-metre canyon near Los Angeles, California two years ago. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and was left with a hole in his skull.
Doctors reportedly did everything they could to help salvage what was left of Ward’s skull. He was sent home having to wear a helmet to protect his head.
His mother, Lisa Ward, said it was extremely difficult for Ward because he could no longer have play dates, sleepovers or go to birthday parties.
“No parent wanted the responsibly of a child without a skull,” she told CBS.
But this month, all of this changed for Ward after he underwent surgery doctors are calling “innovative.”
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The energetic first grader had a 3-D printed skull implanted onto what’s left of his skull bone.
The implant was made from a material called polyetheretherketone, often used in engineering applications.
The surgery was a success and doctors are saying Ward can now go back to being his active self.
“I put the word out that Teddy is available for sleepovers!” Lisa Ward told CBS.