A father who thought his poorly young son might never smile again has spoken of the "astonishing" moment the youngster grinned for the first time in two years.
Richard Page said that when he saw six-year-old Ellis beaming, it was like "when your baby smiles for the first time - but a million times better".
In 2011, Ellis was diagnosed MECP2 duplication syndrome, a chromosomal abnormality which causes epilepsy and restricts development, leaving the youngster unable to walk or talk.
The condition has no cure yet, and although patients can take medication to control the condition, Ellis's parents, Richard and Leanne, were warned he might never smile again.
But that suddenly changed this week.
"I was with Ellis the other day and out of the blue, a big grin spread across his face," said Richard, 29, of Barkby.
"At first, I thought it was just a fluke but then he did it again, and again.
"It was like when you see your baby smile for the first time but a million times better.
"Who said we couldn't beat this?"
When their son was diagnosed, Richard and Leanne launched the Text Ellis Campaign, which raises money for MECP2 research taking place in America. To date, they have raised around £120,000, most of which they took over to the US in July.
Richard, as well as Ellis, won the hearts of Leicester City fans and players, and supporters of other clubs across the country, when he cycled to every Foxes away match last season to raise money for the campaign.
"It's been a long time coming, seeing Ellis smile - but it makes all of the fund-raising worth it," he said.
Richard said that now, when his Leanne sings to Ellis, he acknowledges it and starts smiling.
"When we walk in a room, Ellis is actually turning to look at us and smiling, it's amazing," added Richard.
"The thing is, we never knew before if he was happy. But now he's smiling, we know he's happy, and that's all we could ask for."
In 2012, after Ellis suffered a series of frequent epileptic fits, doctors told Richard that his son might never smile, sit-up, walk or make eye contact again.
"It was heart-breaking," said Richard.
"He has the most gorgeous little smile.
"It was devastating to hear he might not smile again.
"So to see him smile again, it really does feel like we're getting our little boy back."
The prospect of seeing Ellis start to grin again had seemed like a dream, said Richard.
"Last year, he spent most of his time staring into space - he didn't acknowledge us at all, " he said.
"This time last year, seeing Ellis smiling again seemed impossible. Things seemed to go from bad to worse.
"Now our dreams of Ellis progressing seems a lot more realistic."
Over the past few months, Ellis has been taking a new medicine, which agrees with him better than others, said his dad.
"He used to be having five, six, or even seven fits a day, and in the past seven weeks, he's only had one," said Richard. "It's incredible.
"Seeing Ellis progress and hearing about the research that is taking place is so exciting.
"Touch-wood, we're starting to get things back on track now."
To donate to the Text Ellis campaign, visit: www.justgiving.com/textellis
