Baby who defied doctors’ expectations dies peacefully aged 5

A baby in the US who defied doctors’ expectations has died peacefully in his parents’ arms aged five.

Jaxon Buell was born in North Carolina with most of his skull missing due to a condition called microhydranencephaly, a rare disorder that affects the brain’s shape.

His parents, Brittany and Brandon, were told by doctors he wouldn’t survive more than a year.

Miracle

They were told that chances of survival were small and if he were born he would not live for more than a year.

Doctors advised them to have an abortion, but Brittany and Brandon said they ‘refused to give up on him’.

Despite the poor outlook, Jaxon defied medics by celebrating his fifth birthday. He died peacefully in his parents’ arms earlier this month.

Brandon said: “There’s a miracle behind Jaxon’s story. We want to let other families know that even when there’s a dark situation, every life should be celebrated, valued and cherished”.

Pioneering

Last year, a seven-year-old from Cumbria who is paralysed from the waist down moved his foot after undergoing pioneering therapy.

Noah Wall, who was born with spina bifida and only 2 per cent of his brain, continues to defy doctors’ expectations.

Medics did not expect Noah to survive more than a few days and advised his parents to consider an abortion, which they refused.

His brain has now grown to a remarkable 80 per cent of what it should be, leaving medical professionals stunned.