Earlier this year, photos of a boy named Jaxon Emmett Buell rocked the internet. The fact is that the boy was born with a rare developmental abnormality - anencephaly. This is a severe intrauterine malformation in which the cerebral hemispheres, soft tissues and bones of the cranial vault are completely or partially absent.
This malformation is considered 100% fatal. 50% of children die in utero, the rest either immediately after birth, or within a week or several months. But as elsewhere, there are exceptions. The record holder among anencephals is the girl Stephanie Keane, nicknamed "Baby Kay", who lived for 2 years and 174 days. But Jackson Emmet Buell may live even longer. On Saturday 27 August 2016, he celebrated his second birthday.
Jackson is called a wonder child by many. According to all forecasts, he either had to die in the womb, or he would be aborted, or he would die after birth.
But his parents Brandon and Brittany Buell refused to have an abortion when they were informed of the abnormal development of the fetus after an ultrasound scan. Jackson did not die even after birth, and when he lived to be a year old, his case was officially considered unique.
The boy's parents refused to give up and are trying with all their might to prolong his life. The kid lives surrounded by love and care
- Two years ago, when Jackson was born, our life changed forever, - the parents wrote on the boy's Facebook page, - Although some urged us to abandon him at an early stage, while others said that we would not wait for his two years, we are now here and celebrate Jackson's second birthday.
Promotional video:
We thank everyone who follows our story and empathizes with us. We continue to pray and hope that we will see other stages of his life.
Despite the holiday, the boy's father said that every day is like a struggle for them. The boy has epileptic seizures every day and is growing very slowly, gaining weight poorly. But it is still developing.
- I don't know how long he will be with us and of course he would not have achieved all this without our love and support, especially from his mother.
Early photos of Jackson with his parents