A 13-year-old boy, whose mystery illness bound him to a wheelchair with a feeding tube, has made a miraculous recovery after years of suffering thanks to his determined mother who scoured the internet for answers as to why he was in excruciating pain. According to the Today show, Bobby Leithauser, from Marco Island, Florida, was originally diagnosed with dysautonomia, a malfunction in the autonomic nervous system, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a tissue disorder - but the conditions didn't account for all of his ailments, which included stomach afflictions, loss of vision and agonizing neck pain. Refusing to accept her son’s initial diagnosis, Bobby's mom, Keri Leithauser, began researching his symptoms online, and came across the work of Dr. Harold Rekate, a neurosurgeon at the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York, who soon discovered her son had a Chiari malformation, a treatable, yet rare condition that affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance. Scroll down for video . Miraculous discovery: Bobby Leithauser, 13, suffered from a painful mystery illness for years before being diagnosed with a Chiari malformation, a rare condition that affects the part of the brain that controls balance . Needing a cure: Bobby's parents, Keri and Tom Keri Leithauser, explained that their son started having crippling stomach pain when he was only nine-years-old, requiring him to have a feeding tube . Last December, Dr Rekate operated on Bobby, performing a surgery that he had invented, to fix the condition which cause his spine to press into his brain. Three months later, Bobby recalled the days after his surgery, saying he 'couldn't believe' his unbearable pain was gone after years of suffering. The teen's health problems seemingly came out of nowhere when he was only nine years old, when the once-active child began to experience crippling stomach pain, prompting his parents to start limiting his food to the point that he was only consuming blueberries and chicken. But despite their best efforts, his ailments continued. Next came headaches, tremors and an inability to control his body temperature or regulate his blood pressure. But even after Bobby was diagnosed with dysautonomia and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, his physical suffering continued. Difficult prognosis: Bobby, who was active as a boy, found himself bound to a wheelchair after his condition worsened . 'It was really horrendous pain and I couldn't hold my head up for more than 10 minutes at a time,' Bobby explained. As his condition worsened, his worried mom began doing research on the internet and contacted other parents whose children had similar issues. Chiari malformations are caused by structural defects in the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms include dizziness, muscle weakness, numbness, vision problems, headaches and problems with balance and coordination. Chiari malformations mostly occur during fetal development, although they may develop later in life after injury, infection or exposure to toxic substances . It was once believed that Chiari malformations occurred in only one in every 1,000 births, but research shows that they appear to be more common. Babies who are born with Chiari malformations don't develop symptoms until adolescence or adulthood - if they develop them at all . 'I started putting the pieces of the puzzles together,' she said. Her husband Tom noted that because their son's issues started with severe abdominal pain, they found themselves focused on the wrong area of his body. 'The whole time we were looking at stomach pain, never imagining that the problem could be in another part of his body, like the brain,' he said. Mrs Leithauser's determination to cure her son eventually brought her family to Dr. Rekate. As soon as the neurosurgeon saw scans of the boy's skull and spine, he immediately knew what was wrong. The scan revealed that Bobby's skull and spine were not held together properly because the ligaments were too loose. The misalignment was causing his brain to be squeezed from the front and the back. 'I knew that he could be helped by surgery,' Dr Rekate said. 'I knew that the chronic pain that he was in, that the inability to exercise could be helped, that we could change his life.' Bobby is now walking again, and his chronic pain and headaches are gone as expected. But what is even more surprising is that the issues associated with his autonomic nervous system suddenly started to get better as well. 'To me, it's a miracle. It really is a miracle,' Mr Leithauser said. Magical surgeon: Dr Harold Rekate explained that Bobby's skull and spine weren't hooked together properly, which caused his spine to push into his brain . Fast recovery: Three months ago, Bobby had surgery to properly align his skull and his spine, which improved all of his ailments and allowed him to start walking again .
Bobby Leithauser, from Marco Island, Florida, started experiencing crippling stomach pain when he was only nine years old . As his mysterious condition worsened, he was put in a wheelchair, given a feeding tube and started experiencing vision loss in addition to his pain . His mom Keri’s research led the family to Dr. Harold Rekate, a neurosurgeon in New York who diagnosed the teen with a rare brain condition . Three months after surgery, Bobby is making a full recovery .