The real life Pinocchio: Toddler is born with his brain growing into his NOSE

Ollie Trezise, from Maesteg, Wales, was born with a rare condition which caused his brain to grow through a crack in his skull into his nose (left). At 21 months, he has already had several operations to correct the problem (right). 

An MRI scan later confirmed that the lump was an encephalocele, which is a defect that causes the brain to grow through a hole in the skull, creating a protruding sac. His mother, Amy Poole, 22, said he had been subjected to cruel taunts from strangers. She said: 'It's absolutely heart-breaking. Once, a woman told me I should never have given birth to him. I nearly burst into tears.'

Ollie Trezise, from Maesteg, Wales, was born with a rare condition which caused his brain to grow through a crack in his skull into his nose.

The 21-month-old has been forced to undergo several painful operations to help him to breathe and close the gap in his skull.

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Ollie Trezise has a rare defect called encephalocele, where a sac-like protrusion or projection of the brain and the membranes that cover it, comes through an opening in the skull

But his mother, Amy Poole, 22, said the brave tot has been bombarded with cruel comments from strangers.

One even said he 'should never have been born' while other taunted him, calling him 'ugly.'

'It's absolutely heart-breaking. Once, a woman told me I should never have given birth to him. I nearly burst into tears,' said the full-time mother-of-two.

'To me, Ollie is perfect. He is my little real-life Pinocchio and I couldn't be prouder of him

Miss Poole first discovered that something was different about Ollie at her 20-week scan when doctors told her he had unexpected soft tissue growing on his face.

However, she was still shocked by his condition after giving birth to him at the University Hospital of Wales in February 2014.

Miss Poole, who has since split from Ollie's father, said: 'When they gave me Ollie to hold, I was so surprised that I almost couldn't speak.

'He was so tiny, but there was this enormous golf-ball sized lump on his nose.

'At first I wasn't sure how I would cope. But I knew that I would love him no matter what he looked like.' 

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Ollie has had several operations to fix the opening in his skull, causing part of the brain to grow through the gap

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Doctors picked up the soft tissue growing on his face during the 20 week scan, left. Despite being warned of his condition, mother Amy Poole said it still came as a shock when he was born last year

Via - Daily mail