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Almost all babies with anencephaly die before birth, although some may survive a few hours or a few days after birth. Anencephaly is likely caused by an interaction between genetic and environmental factors , many of which remain unknown. Lindsey R. Dennis writes and speaks on what God has done to bring hope and healing in her life through the life and death of her first two daughters. Within a few weeks of learning the news of her first daughters’ diagnosis, she began to blog about her unfolding story of hope and loss. Lindsey's book is called Buried Dreams: From...

A baby boy born in Missouri last month has made a lasting impact though he only lived for four minutes after birth. His parents have called him a “fighter.” Baby Alexander was diagnosed at 22 weeks with anencephaly, in which his skull did not properly form. Most children with anencephaly will die shortly after birth, though there has been at least one well-known case in which the child survived for three years and nine months. Alexander’s parents, Abraham and Christine Jacobs, were heartbroken. Already parents to one son, Ezekiel, they were told that if Alexander survived to birth, he would...

Royce and Keri Young are greeting and saying farewell to their daughter, Eva, who was born Tuesday with the sole purpose of giving life to others. Keri Young knew during her pregnancy that her daughter would be born with anencephaly, a birth defect that prevents the proper formation of the brain. They were told that because of this, the baby would likely not survive for long. In a selfless act of courage, she asked if the newborn's organs could be harvested. When she learned this was possible, she decided she would carry the baby to full term. *** "Will people...

A mysterious cluster of severe birth defects in rural Washington state is confounding health experts, who say they can find no cause, even as reports of new cases continue to climb. Federal and state officials won’t say how many women in a three-county area near Yakima, Wash., have had babies with anencephaly, a heart-breaking condition in which they’re born missing parts of the brain or skull. And they admit they haven't interviewed any of the women in question, or told the mothers there's a potentially widespread problem. But as of January 2013, officials with the Washington state health department and...

A Mid-South mother has been banned from Facebook for the photos she posted of her newborn son. Grayson James Walker was born on February 15, 2012. He was born with Anencephaly, a rare neural tube birth defect in which a baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. Action News 5 shared the Walker's story about their sons eight hours of life shortly after he died. Heather Walker recently posted pictures of Grayson without his hat on. "Not long after, Facebook deleted them because of the content" she said. "They allow people to post almost nude pictures of...

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...

A lot of women have difficult pregnancies. But I can’t imagine any more difficult than the one endured by Amy McNamara. She’s a friend of Jack Smith, a writer for the Kansas City newspaper, the Catholic Key, and he told her story recently on the paper’s blog. In 1994, when Amy was three months pregnant with her first child, her doctor told her that the baby had anencephaly, a neural defect. As a result, part of the baby’s brain, and skull, would never be formed. It happens in about one out of every 200-thousand pregnancies. There was nothing medical science...

Faith at 4 days old My name is Myah. I'm 23 years old and a single mom to a very special little girl. When I was 19 weeks pregnant, I was told that my baby had no brain. This condition is known as "anencephaly." I was told that my baby was only alive because she was attached to me, but that she couldn't survive on her own. The doctor said that I could continue the pregnancy safely, but that my baby would die shortly after being born. Or I could choose to terminate the pregnancy then, which would mean...