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Baby Without a Brain : A Miracle Story
Health News ^ | December 19, 2009

Posted on 12/19/2009 6:03:24 AM PST by NYer

Pueblo, Colorado - Nicholas Coke, a baby boy from Pueblo is a living miracle. He was born with no brain. He can’t see, hear, crawl or suck, but still managed to make a history. This week he has completed his one year’s tough fight for survival.

The disease Nicholas was born with is called Anencephaly. It’s a genetic disorder in which a person has no brain, just a brain stem. Anencephaly is a defect in the closure of the neural tube during development in the womb. The neural tube is a narrow channel that folds and closes between the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy, forming the brain and the spinal cord. In rare cases, one end of the neural tube does not close. This results in the absence of a major part of the brain, skull, and scalp.

Anencephaly occurs in about 1 out of 10,000 births, although the exact number is not known because many of these pregnancies result in a miscarriage, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

The cause of anencephaly is unknown, although the mother’s diet, including an insufficient intake of folic acid, may play a role. Most scientists, however, believe many other factors are also involved.

Nicholas, the miracle child has survived without doctors, or tubes. Her mother Sheena told that he even showed sign of emotion. It was his first smile that brings solace to her poor mother.

They are celebrating every moment as they didn’t know when that fateful moment would come and they had to witness their child breathing his last breath.

We wish Nicholas a Happy Birthday and Merry Christmas. May God bless him.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: abortion; anencephaly; moralabsolutes; prolife
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1 posted on 12/19/2009 6:03:24 AM PST by NYer
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To: netmilsmom; thefrankbaum; markomalley; Tax-chick; GregB; saradippity; Berlin_Freeper; Litany; ...
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list


2 posted on 12/19/2009 6:04:03 AM PST by NYer ("One Who Prays Is Not Afraid; One Who Prays Is Never Alone" - Benedict XVI)
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To: NYer

No brain means no personality. Does that mean no soul?


3 posted on 12/19/2009 6:07:03 AM PST by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: NYer

When he grows up he can be president just like Obama.


4 posted on 12/19/2009 6:08:21 AM PST by Piquaboy (Military veteran of 22 years in Navy, Air Force, and Army.)
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To: NYer
We know from Jesus' words that the angels in heaven watch over His precious children, incl. this miracle baby.
5 posted on 12/19/2009 6:09:09 AM PST by Ciexyz
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To: NYer

If he has no brain what is controlling his autonomic functions?


6 posted on 12/19/2009 6:15:17 AM PST by raybbr (If you try to kiss your son on the head while he's running you WILL get a fat lip.)
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Comment #7 Removed by Moderator

To: NYer
Whoa! The amount of misinformation in this post is truly staggering. Be aware that most of what you read here about anencephaly is wrong.

If this child is truly anencephalic (and I do not know if that is actually the case here), he will not now, or ever, feel anything or have any emotions. A "smile," if it in fact occurred, means nothing. He will never think a single thought.

While I oppose late term abortions, anencephaly is one case where exceptions should be made.

Flame away.

8 posted on 12/19/2009 6:21:17 AM PST by rmh47 (Go Kats! - Got Seven? [NRA Life Member])
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To: raybbr

The brain stem controls breathing and heart beat. He has a brain stem but not the other parts.


9 posted on 12/19/2009 6:23:51 AM PST by kalee (01/20/13 The end of an error.... Obama even worse than Carter.)
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To: Scotsman will be Free

***No brain means no personality. Does that mean no soul?***

My mother is at the other end of the spectrum with Alzhemier’s.

She is approaching being “alive” like this baby.

Because she is no longer recognisable as my mother, I too sometimes find myself wondering if she is no longer “there”.

I believe God puts very needy young and old with us for a reason. He judges US, (not them) by the way we treat them. God will bless this selfless mother. When the time comes, she will live in eternity with her son, who she will see healthy and grateful.


10 posted on 12/19/2009 6:24:39 AM PST by Mrs.Z
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To: rmh47
This is stunning. I had no idea such was possible. You'll get no flaming from me. Hard to imagine trying to nurture a child when there is no mind to connect with. Very sad.

As someone asked above, is there a soul when there is no brain/mind/thought process?

11 posted on 12/19/2009 6:27:04 AM PST by buschbaby (No longer silent ~ No longer polite ~ Fights the idiots with truth)
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To: Mrs.Z

Interesting comparison. I see your point. I’ll have to ponder that thought, though I know that makes no difference to God.


12 posted on 12/19/2009 6:30:56 AM PST by Scotsman will be Free (11C - Indirect fire, infantry - High angle hell - We will bring you, FIRE)
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To: rmh47
While I oppose late term abortions, anencephaly is one case where exceptions should be made.

Why get an abortion? In the cold practical sense, the child's going to die anyway, so the woman's heart has to be broken (if she didn't want the baby, she'd have aborted it already). Why take the chance that God will consider it murder, or that she'll come to believe that herself? I don't have a problem letting nature take its course.

13 posted on 12/19/2009 6:31:22 AM PST by nina0113
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To: Mrs.Z
I'm in the same boat as you are - my grandmother is "alive" but occasionally cognizant.
My grandmother is no longer here - the whole scope of her personality is gone - but she is like a 9 month old - she can cry and be soothed, but to talk with her - very rarely.

It's fine. She is not in pain, and comfortable.

I am loathe to think had this happened about 5 years from now, with the national takeover of healthcare.
Some might see her as a useless eater - but she is someone special to me.

14 posted on 12/19/2009 6:31:55 AM PST by Maigrey (Life, for a liberal, is one never-ending game of Calvinball. - giotto)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: buschbaby

No soul?

Since we don’t know the answer but the Lord does, I guess the best course would be to treat him like any other baby with intrinsic dignity and worth. And pray for him and his family.


16 posted on 12/19/2009 6:35:02 AM PST by Cloverfarm (Obama = Nixon II)
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To: Cloverfarm
"treat him like any other baby with intrinsic dignity and worth."

Your right. I'm still pondering this article and child. The questions it raises are more than my tired old mind can answer. The whole thing makes me sad for everyone involved.

17 posted on 12/19/2009 6:43:12 AM PST by buschbaby (No longer silent ~ No longer polite ~ Fights the idiots with truth)
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To: buschbaby
My nephew had an underdeveloped cerebellum, and was written off like a lot of other children.

Folks can presume that these children have no feelings, aren't "people", or have no soul.

He only lived for 6 months, but he did respond. When the nurses came near him, his heart rate accelerated. When Mom or Grandma came near him, his heart rate normalized and his limbs relaxed. He anticipated the pain of the tests to come; anticipation denotes awareness.

He most definitely had feelings, and when you held him, you could sense the little soul inside of him. He would turn towards you, grab for your shirt or finger, and snuggle in when you kissed him. Imprisoned in a body that would not sustain him, but he was definitely there.

Before he was born, I would have agreed with some other posters that children like this are just vegetables. I saw the absolute best in my sister-in-law during that time, the strength of her love, and my nephew's daily battle to LIVE. It changed my heart completely, and I am now firmly pro-life.

18 posted on 12/19/2009 6:44:29 AM PST by TheWriterTX (I am a Declarationist!)
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To: nina0113
Why get an abortion? In the cold practical sense, the child's going to die anyway, so the woman's heart has to be broken (if she didn't want the baby, she'd have aborted it already). Why take the chance that God will consider it murder, or that she'll come to believe that herself? I don't have a problem letting nature take its course.

All good points, and I would have no problem with "letting nature take it's course," either. But I would not impose that course on another, who may decide otherwise -- in this particular circumstance.

19 posted on 12/19/2009 6:45:22 AM PST by rmh47 (Go Kats! - Got Seven? [NRA Life Member])
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To: Maigrey

***Some might see her as a useless eater - but she is someone special to me.***

Exactly.

My mother has her own money for now. It is hers and we are spending it on her, letting her have the very best at the end of her life.

I fear for the elderly under Obamacare. Congress says no “death panels”. But the reality is, the $$$ will be so low that no facility will accept them, and families can’t physically care for them. The system will force them to be put down like animals.


20 posted on 12/19/2009 6:45:57 AM PST by Mrs.Z
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