Nobody knows what is wrong - but young Ethan smiles on regardless

The Maclellan household on the Woodloes will become a spooky haunted graveyard complete with fog and lifesized skeletons for one night only next week.

All to give something back to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where one-year-old Ethan has been having regular treatment since being diagnosed with an underdeveloped brain shortly after his birth in September 2014.

One-year-old Ethan is unable to properly support his head, has trouble feeding naturally and is regularly violently sick. He uses a special chair to support his spine and recently underwent an operation to insert feeding tubes straight into his stomach.

But dad James said despite a year of tests and treatment for speech, strength and mobility, doctors are still no closer to knowing if the conditions mean simply developmental delay or long term disability.

The family has ben warned that if he is not able to support his head by age two, he may never be able to walk.

But 40-year-old James, a chef at Warwick School, said despite his struggles, Ethan is always smiling to help the couple and their four-year-old son Tristan every day.

The family said that the Halloween fundraiser at their home at 8 Hathaway Drive is the ideal way to say thank you and show off what they can do for one night.

“I’ve made life-sized zombies, gravestones and even perfected eerie ground fog for the evening,” he said.

“We usually do something like this as I love Halloween, but this year we have gone all out to make this something people will, hopefully, want to come and see.

“All the money raised will go to the hospital as we just want a way to say thank you and give something back.

“Ethan is such a happy baby. I don’t know how he manages it with all he has to go through but it really helps us.”

Thirty-two-year-old Laura said that if families can come along to have a look and put some money in the pot it will all help care for Ethan and other children.

She said: “Ethan’s sickness has calmed down a lot since his operation to change his feeding tubes.

“We are all having tests to try and determine if his condition is genetic and what he might be missing that is stopping him from developing as quickly as expected.

“He still cannot fully hold his head up or touch things properly - just little things that are normal for this age.

“It is just a big mystery for them and for us, so it is hard to know what to prepare for.

“But his head is getting a lot stronger and things seem to be improving. We are just very lucky to have such a wonderful family and hope people will come out and celebrate with us for Halloween.”

James and Laura hope the evening will attract trick-or-treaters and families looking for a spooky show, and all are encouraged to go and take a look

The house will be lit up, with displays and monster creations from around 7pm or when darkness falls and donations will be collected through the night.

Laura has already raised £600 by collecting sponsorship for running Stratford 10k, and will hold cake sales and other events next year to boost funds