- A little Lions fan is celebrating a victory as the team themselves aims for a win on Sunday night.
- Eli Acevedo had to wear a helmet for three months after being diagnosed with plagiocephaly.
- Video shows Eli's parents sharing his journey.
The Acevedo family has a lot to celebrate these days other than their beloved Detroit Lions.
Eli Acevedo is about to turn one-year-old and has already battled for most of his life.
His mom, Kayla says Eli was born premature and had trouble during his birth.
"[Eli] needed a vacuum because he was not doing well during labor," Kayla said.
Months passed and Kayla, along with husband Eric, noticed a flat spot growing in the back of his skull. The parents later learned Eli would be diagnosed with plagiocephaly.
Dean Woolcock, a certified prosthetist orthotist and owner of Spartan Orthotics & Prosthetics in East Lansing, says the condition is common among premature babies and requires treatment within the first year of a child's life.
"He had significant flatness in the occipital region, or the back of his skull," Woolcock said.
About 50% of children develop the condition according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. The group says 20% of babies with the condition are born with a misshapen head due to complications in the womb or birth canal.
"The sooner that these kids are fit in life, the better results we get and the quicker we get those results," Woolcock said.
Eric and Kayla began seeing Woolcock every month since August. Woolcock would measure Eli's skull and use the data to customize a special helmet to fit Eli.
When the parents chose a helmet, they were able to choose a color. Eric found a color close to Honolulu Blue, the Lions' signature color.
"Why don't we put some Lions decals on it and it'll be just like a little football helmet," Eric recalled.
Beginning late August, Eli wore the helmet every single day for 23 hours a day.
"I wouldn't like to wear that thing 23-hours a day," Eric said.
During each visit, Woolcock would wrap a special sock around Eli's head, place stickers around his skull and then take pictures of different angles of his head.
The data would then transfer to an app and takes minutes to process Woolcock said.
"We were able to reduce the cranial vault assymetry from 13 millimeters to less than one millimeter," Woolcock said.
That was good news for Kayla and Eric Acevedo because it meant their son 'graduated' from wearing the helmet.
"An early Christmas gift," Woolcock said. "Won't need it for your first birthday."
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