A Florida boy was given just days to live when he was born with a rare neural-tube condition. As a result half his skull and brain were missing, but he’s surpassed all expectations and celebrated his 1st birthday last month.
The boy, who has an extremely rare brain malformation called microhydranencephaly, was nicknamed Jaxon Strong. This toddler is now teething and learning to say “mama” and “daddy” – his doting parents, Brandon and Brittany Buell, relish every moment with their boy.
The proud parents, Brittany and Brandon Buell, have taken to his Facebook page, “Jaxon Strong” and shared a candid clip of him speaking after he managed to utter his first words.
Now Watch: Brave baby who defied all odds to survive, says hello!
The video emerged after Mr and Mrs Buell revealed they received criticism for not aborting Jaxon.
They wrote alongside the clip: ‘You can’t see our shocked and happy expressions behind the camera, but we are super proud parents to be able to witness Jaxon speaking yet again.’
Some people on social media accused the couple of being ‘selfish’ in their decision as their boy might be suffering in pain. So the father hit back at trolls and said the decision to keep their son was ‘our choice, and only our choice’.
He revealed that doctors gave them the option to abort at 23 weeks but added: ‘No doctor could tell us exactly what was wrong or what to expect.’
The Brain Development Abnormality
Microhydranencephaly is a developmental abnormality that affects the brain. There are no official figures for India, but experts say over five thousand children are born every year in the country with this condition. Most die soon after birth.
This rare disease can sometimes be inherited by a recessive gene. At birth, the signs of this condition include the head being small, ridges on the scalp and developmental delays.