October 9, 2019

Baby Boy Missing Part of Skull Survives Birth

Lucas being held by his mother. Screenshot from WABC
Maria Santa Maria was told that her son would die upon delivery due to a rare condition that caused her son's skull to not develop fully. Doctors recommend that she abort and be done with her pregnancy, but Maria decided that she wanted to preserve her child's life for as long as possible. 

When the baby, whom she named Lucas, was finally born, everyone was surprised to see him survive hours, let alone days. Doctors were able to develop an entirely new procedure to remove a fluid sac along with part of Lucas's brain tissue in order to ensure that his brain could develop correctly as he continued to grow older. After a successful surgery, Lucas has gone on to live a full seven months, showing that even a seemingly hopeless pregnancy can lead to a wonderful and miraculous life. Click here to read more.