14 DAY TRIAL // When young Jaxon Buell was born over a year ago, he was only given a few days to live. In fact, his parents say that, even before he was born, doctors kept telling them that they probably should have him aborted.
Everybody assumed that, having only half a skull, the child would die soon after delivery, and so terminating the pregnancy was the responsible thing to do.
Except Brittany and Brandon Buell, Jaxon's parents, refused to follow the doctors' advice. Brittany carried the pregnancy to term. As it turns out, it was a good call.
A couple of months ago, Jaxon Buell, whom his parents like to call Jaxon Strong, celebrated his first birthday. Then, a few days ago, his dad shared a video of him saying “hello” to his old folks and his supporters.
The video, available below, has been viewed tens of thousands of times. Apparently, Jaxon Strong has a whole lot of fans and people who love him out there.
“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!!! Such a brilliant little man!!!” Brandon Buell wrote in the video's description.
Jaxon Strong suffers from a rare condition
Young Jaxon Strong suffers from a rare condition called microhydraencephaly. He was born with part of his skull and his brain missing, and as mentioned, his doctors didn't expect him to live long.
Medical experts say children born with microhydraencephaly usually display profound developmental delay and severe intellectual disability. This was one of the reasons they told his parents that they should terminate the pregnancy.
Despite suffering from this rare condition, Jaxon's parents say the boy is thriving. He does experience seizures several times a day, but with the support of his family, he has learned to overcome them.
“He is so normal in so many ways. He is a baby who is dealing with teething, he cries when he’s hungry, he hurts from gas pains, he throws ups, he cries, he poops, he sleeps, he repeats,” his father writes in a Facebook post.
Most of the children who are born with microhydraencephaly die in their first year of life. However, there are also cases of people diagnosed with this rare condition and who lived well into their 30s.