Baby born missing majority of skull miraculously beats the odds, reaches first birthday

Jaxon Buell was born with most of his skull missing.

Doctors said that Jaxon Buell only had a few days to live after his birth. The boy was born with a rare condition called the Microhydranencephaly, which left the majority of his skull unable to form. Despite the odds, Jaxon is strong and recently celebrated a milestone by celebrating his first birthday. 

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (Catholic Online) - The rare brain malfunction was a cause of concern but the one-year-old has pushed through. 

After he was born in August of last year, many believed he would pass away at less than a week old, but his parents hold hope as the infant continues to live. 

"Jaxon has already shown how strong, smart, and special he is, accomplishing feats that doctors doubted he'd ever be able to do, shows improvements each and every day, and just reached a miraculous milestone in celebrating his 1st birthday," wrote his parents, Brittany and Brandon Buell on their Facebook page titled "Jaxon Strong."

Another post on the Facebook page features the Buell's thanks for supporters who have shared Jaxon's story. With over 127,000 supporters on the page, it came as no surprise when some translated his story to Twitter and created the hashtag #JaxonStrong.

However, some people responded to the parents' decision to share Jaxon on social media quite differently, accusing them of being selfish by not opting to just abort the child after learning of his condition. 

The Independent UK reported Brandon Buell responded to the critics via Facebook post, saying people had misunderstood the situation and the doctors told them Jaxon was in no pain nor did he suffer following his birth. 

"I will never understand how choosing to carry Jaxon and give him a chance to survive could ever be considered 'selfish.' How is killing him immediately the better alternative, when no doctor could give us a reason to do so? When did choosing life become the selfish and condemned choice of this never-ending debate that we have somehow found ourselves in, simply for giving our baby a chance to live and not have to wonder 'what if?'" he wrote.

"No doctor could tell us exactly what was wrong or what to expect, but we did make sure to ask if Jaxon was in pain or was suffering, and we asked if there were any added risks for Brittany during the pregnancy or potentially at time of delivery. Since the answer to both questions was 'no', we never came close to considering abortion.

"Yes, we are Christians, and our faith has certainly been vital during this entire journey for our family, but we're still realists. Had there been any suffering in the womb or a danger involved other than Jaxon possibly not being able to live outside the womb because of the concern for his head and brain, then we certainly would have had a different discussion. However, that wasn't the case, and it was our choice, and only our choice."

The cure and the cause of Microhydranencephaly has yet to be determined and though the Buell's say it can't be categorized by any known diagnosis, it is similar to Lissencephaly in several ways.
The decision to bring Jaxon to term and to raise him was the best thing the Buells could have done for him. Happy birthday Jaxon!

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