Happy (belated) Birthday to Jaxon Buell of Central Florida!
Jaxon’s doctors said he would never speak, never be able to see or hear and would never survive past a few months, but miracle baby Jaxon has proved them all wrong. He celebrated 13 months on Sunday.
His mother, Brittany Buell, told Orlando's WOFL-TV, "They told us two weeks, two months, two years. Now, they are finally telling us 'we don't know.'"
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Baby Jaxon and his family have been a huge source of inspiration for former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Evan Rodriguez and his wife Olivia. Like Jaxon, the Rodriguez baby, due in December, suffers from the rare and severe birth defect anencephaly. Doctors have told the couple that their daughter, who they have already named Layla Sky, will be born missing parts of her brain and skull and likely will survive only a few days.
MORE: Former Buc, wife fight for unborn child, help others https://shar.es/17EQLA
Since learning that grim outlook from doctors, Evan and Olivia have been in touch with the Buell family, as well as other families grappling with anencephaly. “They were me and in the same position as me in that moment or maybe further in,” Olivia Rodriguez said. The couple said their faith in God, as well as the unwavering support of the Buell family, have helped them tremendously throughout the pregnancy with Layla Sky so far.
The Rodriguez family is currently splitting their time between Tampa and New Jersey, their shared home-state, since Evan Rodriguez was released from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are still expecting Layla Sky’s birth in December or possibly earlier.
