For the first time in his life, a little boy from Nevada was finally able to sleep with his eyes closed.
7-year-old Carter Bresee suffers from lamellar ichthyosis and ectropion, where the body creates skin cells that aren’t able to separate from one another on the surface of the skin the way they should.
Additionally, his skin has never shed fast enough, causing brown scales to form.
Highlights
- Carter sleeps with eyes closed for the first time after surgery.
- Lamellar ichthyosis and ectropion caused Carter's eyelids to turn outward.
- Community donated over $46,000, surpassing $8,000 surgery goal.
But things drastically changed a couple of weeks ago when Carter received life-altering eyelid surgery.
7-year-old Carter is now able to sleep with his eyes closed following a major eyelid surgery
Image credits: CTV News
Fox News had been following Carter’s journey for years and discovered that his condition forces his eyelids to turn outwards, making it impossible for them to close.
“He cannot blink, he sleeps with his eyes open and is often experiencing lots of pain and discomfort because of this,” wrote Shai, Carter’s mother, on her GoFundMe page when she first decided to raise funds for surgery.
The initial goal was to raise at least $8,000 for an oculoplastic surgery—which involved removing skin from a different part of Carter’s body and grafting it onto his eyelids. In the end, they received more than $46,000.
Image credits: CTV News
“I didn’t realize what a sense of community we really had,” she told the outlet. “It’s really crazy to feel so included.”
After the operation at UC San Diego was successful, Shai opened up about Carter’s first normal night of sleep—and boy, did it sound perfect.
Image credits: CTV News
Carter added, “I did not have my eye shields. I normally try to lay on my back but sometimes it’s not comfy.”
The 7-year-old boy reportedly remained calm throughout the procedure and is now recovering
Image credits: GoFundMe
Carter’s mother described him as a “champ” during the surgery, as well as the recovery process.
“He was able to play his games and he had the best attitude and didn’t complain about a single thing, even when he was in pain he said mom I think a little bit more medicine.”
Carter has since gone back to school and, although he will require follow-up appointments for the rest of his life, this surgery is expected to provide relief for the next 10 years.
Readers commended Carter online for his strength and determination
Image credits: CTV News
“Man that sounds like living in an absolute nightmare,” one person said. “Glad he was able to get surgery for this!”
“A mother’s love is strong with this one,” another wrote.
A third user wished him “the most restful sleep and wonderful dreams every night for the rest of his life.”
The two conditions Carter was diagnosed with normally come from mutations in the patient’s genes
Image credits: CTV News
Although cervical ectropion is not a cause for concern, according to the Cleveland Clinic, lamellar ichthyosis is more serious.
It affects only one in every 100,000 individuals in the United States, but it’s more common in Norway, where an estimated one in 91,000 people are affected.
Image credits: CTV News
The disorder occurs when the genes responsible for the proteins found in the outermost layer of the skin mutate. Abnormalities, such as the impaired regulation of body temperature, water retention, and resistance to infections, can be observed.
These mutations are the cause of 90% of lamellar ichthyosis cases. The other 10% is not as widely known, as some result from a deviation in various genes, while others are unknown.
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