A multidisciplinary team at The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) has saved Zakariya Elmoustafa’s life.

The two-year-old underwent a series of remarkable surgeries, starting at just six-months of age, after his brain continued to develop, despite the fact that his skull had stopped growing. It was the most severe case of a fused skull ever seen by doctors at the RCH.

Zakariya was born with a rare syndrome known as pancraniosynostosis seen no more than twice a decade in Victoria.

“The hardest thing was seeing people take a second or third glance at him,” said his mother, Ahlam Elakkoumi. “As a parent you want to protect your children from anything, so I’ve just had to hold him much closer. But now he’s free to live life.”

Neurosurgeon Alison Wray and plastic surgeon David Chong worked together on the case. “It was the most severe case I’d ever seen,” Ms Wray said. “We weren’t able to engage with him. He wouldn’t look at you and it didn’t appear like he was seeing and interacting with his world.”

A year after his final operation Zakariya is finally able to enjoy the simple things that most take for granted, and he is performing above average in several areas.

“It’s just like his brain has kicked into gear,” Ms Elmoustafa said. “He’s catching up in every possible way and that’s a miracle.”

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