Florida Baby Born Without Most Of His Skull Defies The Odds

Jaxon Emmett Buell was born with a rarely seen brain malformation known as microhydranencephaly. The severe abnormality is characterized both by microcephaly and hydranencephaly, with symptoms ranging from scalp rugae to profound developmental delay. Yet this young man, who was given just days to live, has defied the odds. Jaxon celebrated his 1st birthday on Aug. 17, 2015.

"All we ever wanted was to give Jaxon the happiest, most comfortable, and most fulfilling life possible, because we know how precious his days are with us," his father, Brandon Buell wrote in a Saturday Facebook post. "Every doctor we've talked to is fascinated that Jaxon is here today, and they can no longer predict a prognosis, although we know the reality behind this better than anyone else, what Jaxon is up against, and that his life is already miraculous at this point."

The doctors initially detected a malformation during the pregnancy, providing the couple with the option to terminate birth, according to The New York Daily News. However, as Brittany Buell, his mother, learned that he was not in pain and carrying him full term would not affect her health, the couple decided to go through with the pregnancy, even if Jaxon would only live for a few days.

The family also launched a GoFundMe campaign to help fund Jason's continued medical cost throughout the last 12 months. Over that time, it has raised $66,078 of the $70,000 goal, according to Fox29.com.

"We believe the medical world will also benefit from Jaxon's story, from his rare neurological condition, and from his diagnosis, because we are certainly seeing firsthand how much there is still to learn about the human brain," Buell wrote. "We plan to work with the top infant neurological teams in the country, if not the world, for all of these benefits, and we keep our focus as broad as we possibly can so that Jaxon's story does not end with Jaxon."

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