ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- A 3-year-old Florida boy who has not slept for three years because of a rare brain condition finally fell asleep after experimental surgery, doctors said.

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IMAGES: Boy Sleepless For 3 Years

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Rhett Lamb of St. Petersburg was diagnosed with a condition called chiari malformation that puts pressure on his brain stem.

Rhett has never taken a nap or gone to sleep at night, forcing his parents to keep watch day and night.

"It is hell," father David Lamb said. "It has taken a toll on me and my wife and our relationship."

"(My husband) has the day shift and I kind of have the afternoon shift," mother Shannon Lamb said. "We share the night shift because no one can sleep in the house when he is up anyway."

During an experimental surgery, doctors removed pieces of bone from Rhett's skull and spine to take the pressure off his brain stem.

The surgery appears to have worked.

"Last night, we didn't wake up," Lamb said. "It was amazing."

Doctors said it may take months to see long-term results from the surgery.

The $60,000 surgery was not covered by the family's insurance. The hospital is helping the family get financial assistance.

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