Tag - chromosomal abnormalities

Boy Born With ‘no brain’ Starts School

Noah Wall was born with less than 2% of a brain – but he has amazed medics by growing into a happy, chatty little boy.

Doctors said he would die before birth, or shortly after. They were repeatedly encouraged to have an abortion — but Noah’s parents refused. Full Article

“We were offered termination five times,” Rob Wall, Noah’s father, said. “It was never an option for us. To me, we wanted to give Noah that chance of life.” Still, with the grim diagnosis before them, Noah’s parents planned for the worst. They planned his funeral before he was born, and expected to have to say goodbye to their sweet boy soon.  Video

Over time, Noah’s brain grew. By age three, he had 80 percent of a normal brain, and his family continues to work to aid his brain development. His spina bifida has left Noah paralyzed from the chest down, and he required the use of a wheelchair, but that hasn’t slowed him down. Now, Noah is attending school and can even count to 10, and can talk as well as read.

Noah, the little boy doctors predicted would die shortly after birth, is not only still alive against all odds — he’s thriving. In the documentary “The Boy Who Grew A New Brain,” Noah is shown to be an active, happy, and remarkably empathetic boy. (In one scene, his mother cries while she attaches his braces, and Noah responds by asking her if she’s all right.)

“I wish the best of his future. Perhaps maybe he may become smarter than Stephen Hawking”