William was born with a rare genetic condition that stopped his jaw growing as it should.

Treacher-Collins Syndrome affects the bone and tissue in the face.

It meant William had to have a breathing tube fitted when he was just two weeks old because his tongue blocked his airway.

Day-to-day life was complicated for the little boy and his family.

"That little tube dominates your life. So William couldn't go anywhere without this big emergency kit," explains his mother Kate.

"It had to be with someone who was tracheostomy-trained all the time, even at school."

But life-changing surgery has meant he no longer needs that breathing tube.

He went through a seven-hour operation to begin creating a jaw that would allow him to manage without a lot of complicated equipment.

"So we took a little bit of rib on each side to build his jaw joints. Let is all settle. And then we can slowly pull it forwards a millimeter a day, where that jaw is growing forwards, pulling his tongue forwards to clear the back of his throat," says Alistair Cobb, William's surgeon at University Hospitals Bristol.

"That was a really hard thing to consent to because it feels so brutal. And it felt: I hope we're the right thing. And then it's worked!" says mum Kate.

So now William can enjoy the simple pleasure of eating with family and friends.

"If I'm hungry, I can just get food for my friends. Here you go! Here you go," he says.

William will need a further operation to close the stoma in his neck.

But he's already thinking of his next big ambition: to become an astronaut.