A baby boy, who was given only hours to live, is said to be the first child to survive and thrive with a rare skull condition.
7-month-old Lucas Santa Maria was born with half of his skull missing. This means only skin is protecting his brain due to a condition called exencephaly.
His mom, Maria, was advised to abort her baby when she was only 10 weeks pregnant. However, she decided to follow her instincts and went against recommendations from professionals.
Lucas was born at 35 weeks, weighing 6lbs and 5oz. Maria then received a list of funeral homes and was told she should start making arrangements.
But Maria and her 30-year-old husband, Augusto, were surprised and amazed to see Lucas’ condition stabilize. The baby boy was soon able to breathe and eat.
At only four years old, little Lucas had surgery to remove damaged parts of his brain.
Even though his condition is stable, Lucas is still very delicate. He is still waiting for more surgery to mold a skull over his brain, which is only protected by his soft skin.
“I found out about his condition on my first ultrasound when I was just ten weeks pregnant and was told that he would most likely die in my uterus or at birth,” said the mother-of-four.
“They recommended that we had an abortion, which was devastating since they didn’t give us any hope at all and said that he was incompatible with life.
“I had never thought about having an abortion before but we were forced to consider due to the circumstances – but it was something that I couldn’t bring myself to do.
“I thought if Lucas wasn’t going to live, he can pass in my uterus without me having the regret that I may have stopped my son from having a life.
“The doctor’s told us this made him the first in the world to survive and thrive with this rare condition.”
Baby Lucas is now home with his parents and three sweet sisters. When he’s around 18 months old, he will undergo another surgery that will give him a skull.
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