Jaxon Strong, Miracle Baby Born With Most of His Skull Missing, Just Hit an "Impossible" Milestone
Jaxon Buell a.k.a. Jaxon Strong, the boy born with 80% of his brain missing — and the child that stunned the world with his progress, against all odds — has hit another major milestone. At the time of his birth in August 2014, Jaxon was diagnosed with microhydranencephaly, a rare brain malformation that all but halted his brain development just weeks into his mother's pregnancy. Doctors told his parents, Brandon and Brittany Buell, that their son would never live to see his second birthday. But Jaxon, ever the warrior, had a different plan.
In a post shared on Today,
Brandon Buell gave the world an update on his son — who is now, as of
August 27, a growing two-year-old toddler. Besides a monumental
birthday, there are other milestones
to celebrate. "He recognizes his name — if we say Jaxon, he starts to
smile," wrote Buell. "He's getting better with his hands. If we play
noses, he'll reach his hand up to grab our faces." These might seem like
insignificant checkpoints, but for Jaxon and his family, they mean the world.
Despite
progress, the toddler still battles his body every day. As Jaxon's body
grows, his brain must adapt to catch up — this means daily seizures,
frequent trips to the hospital, and vigilant medication adjustments.
Just two weeks ago, Jaxon's seizures became more frequent and more
intense; when his mother took him to the hospital, doctors did their
best to understand why the seizures were happening and how to best
prevent them. But with Jaxon, says Buell, it is always a matter of
"trial-and error."
Jaxon's parents live in awe of their son, who has overcome every shred
of doubt that science has presented him. Which makes his nickname —
Jaxon Strong — quite fitting. "The doctors originally told us he'd
probably never hear, see, talk, because the components of the brain that
make those things happen are not there," explained Buell on Today.
"He's doing those things against the odds." All of Jaxon's senses are
intact, even his sense of taste. While he's still dependent on a feeding
tube, his parents like to put jelly or ice cream onto their fingers so
he can taste them. Ice cream is definitely a hit — but bananas? Not so much.
The Buells don't know what the future holds for their son. But they do
know that every single moment that they have with him needs to be
optimized and cherished. "We make sure every day is something special
for Jaxon so we don't miss that," said Buell. "Whatever Jaxon needs that
day, we will do."
Happy belated birthday, Jaxon!
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