Nigerian News Beat

Ollie Petherick, a toddler suffers from a rare genetic condition which makes him unable to stop smiling.

The two year old, from Devizes, Wiltshire, was born with Angelman syndrome - a chromosome disorder which causes severe learning difficulties – and puts a permanent smile on his face.

It is a rare condition that less than 1,000 cases have been reported in the UK.

Annie Campbell,Ollie’s mother, said: ‘Ollie’s smile and happy personality just makes everything worthwhile.

‘I can be seriously sleep deprived but his smile never fails to cheer me up - he has a knack of really making you feel his excitement and his giggle is just amazing.

‘The only thing any parent wants is for their child to be happy, and I know that with Ollie, I will always have that.’

Ms Campbell, 24, often receives compliments about her little boy’s beaming smile.

She said: ‘We get a lot of comments about his smile when we’re out which is lovely - it really does make you happy when you see his grin.

‘He was a very relaxed and placid baby too - he’d always babble away to himself without a care in the world.’

Ms Campbell, who is now a full time carer for her son, only discovered Ollie’s condition when she noticed he couldn’t focus on things properly.

She said: ‘Ollie was six-months-old when I started to notice that his development was delayed - his older brother was much more advanced at his age.

‘Then, one evening, I spent hours trying to get him to follow my finger with his eyes, and he just couldn’t do it.

‘I really started to worry, so the next morning I went to the GP to be on the safe side.

Ms Campbell added: ‘Ollie won’t be able to speak or walk with ease when he grows up which is upsetting.

‘I do worry about him in the future - I wonder how I’ll know if he is ever upset or sad, when the Angelman makes him so happy all the time.

‘But at the moment I just enjoy the lovely little boy that I have.’