Charlotte Misko is truly a rarity. The 1-year-old daughter of Zeb and Bethany Misko has a rare disorder called craniosynostosis, which affects approximately only 1 in 2,000 to 2,500 people.
What is craniosynostosis? It happens when a baby's skull bones fuse earlier than expected, and it can result in a cone-shaped head after birth. While Zeb and Bethany were aware of Charlotte's head shape, they were initially told that it was normal and would go away on its own. Many times, these situations do get better.
But not with craniosynostosis in the mix. It's something that Zeb and Bethany knew could happen for one reason — Zeb also had it as a child.
As Zeb told People magazine, they were aware that Charlotte's skull might look different before she was even born. "Charlotte was originally born breech and the doctor said her head deformity would go away after a couple weeks," he said. "Well, it ended up being a month, month and a half, and it did not go away. Because I had the same diagnosis at 5 ½ months old we wanted to consult neurology."
Zeb was officially diagnosed with it 27 years ago. Thanks to surgery, his skull was able to grow normally.
Some children may need multiple surgeries until the condition is successfully corrected. It's always a scary time for parents when they learn that their child will need surgery. But luckily, Zeb's experience helped ease the minds of the Misko family.
"I had the same total cranial bolt surgery 27 years ago and we were like, 'I'm sure that the medical technology and surgical procedures have only improved in those 27 years,' so we felt very comfortable with the team at the Cleveland Clinic performing the same exact surgery, just 27 years later," he said.
Watch the video from Inside Edition to learn more about Charlotte and her rare disorder.
