Doctors told Brandon and Brittany Buell that they should seriously consider aborting their unborn child.
The doctors broke the news that the unborn baby had a condition that would develop into a serious birth defect.
But the Buells did not want to abort their baby, especially since it was 23 weeks into Brittany’s pregnancy.
“We went home that night thinking if you are telling us to abort, we would never know what Jaxon could have been, if he could have survived. Who are we to decide? We were given a child, we are given a chance and we have to be his voice,” father Brandon told the Daily Mail.
“We did everything we could to give him a fighting chance and all he’s done since being born is fight right back.”
A year and a half later, baby Jaxon is inspiring the nation with his survival despite suffering from the brain malfunction Microhydranencephaly.
The malfunction affects 1 in 4,859 babies born in the U.S., and kills most of them soon after birth.
But Jax “Strong” has survived for over a year, and his pictures have gone viral on Facebook. The doctors are stunned by his fight.
“They told us two weeks, two months, two years. Now, they are finally telling us ‘we don’t know,” Brittany told Fox.
Still, the parents are well aware that every single day could be their child’s last.
“'It is always in the back of my mind. I’m very aware that today maybe his last day. I’m aware tomorrow he may not be here,” she said.
“I try to stay positive 99 per cent of the time but there is that 1 per cent because I know the reality of the situation--that we’re probably going to outlive him.”
Colleagues at Brandon’s bank have set up a fundraising page on GoFundMe for the expenses for Jax’s medical care, and tens of thousands of dollars have been raised.
The couple say they have been touched by the “incredible” support.
“It’s all been so overwhelming in a positive way because we can’t go anywhere without someone stopping us, and saying, ‘hey, what’s your story?’ or they would have seen his picture and say, ‘hey, look it’s Jax Strong!’ – his nickname!” Brittany said.
“It’s truly incredible the amount of people he has had an impact on.”
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