When Alex was still in-utero, all of the doctors who saw his mother’s sonograms said they had never seen such a rare combination of birth defects.  After he was born, the doctors saw many more abnormalities than they had predicted -- a unilateral cleft lip, clubfeet, a scalp defect that exposed the brain on the top of Alex’s head, and a hydrocephalic condition (water on the brain).  Alex’s appearance was so shocking at birth that the doctors who delivered him suggested that his parents,  “just let nature take its course” and not attempt to close the gaping opening on the top of their son’s head. They felt the combination of deformities was just too much to address in the struggling infant. Alex’s parents vehemently refused. “He is our son,” his dad protested. “And we believe he deserves every chance we can give him to live.”  

Though doctors had never treated this type of deformity of the head, they decided their only option was to close the scalp through surgery. Closing the scalp instead of applying skin grafts meant Alex would be able to have a full head of hair, yet this decision caused problems later and lead to the need for additional surgeries and repair.

After 15 surgeries and countless other procedures, including cranial vault remodeling surgeries, shunt revisions and multiple foot surgeries, the majority of Alex’s problems have been solved.  His mother reports that they are about to launch the orthodontic process to reposition the interior of his mouth and the palate as one of the last steps in his treatment. Alex is now 14 and doing well in school in their current home near Shreveport, Louisiana.
Alex’s mother, Shari, says, “I believe God gives children with special needs special talents.  Alex has always been so outgoing.  His zest for life is inspiring and so heartening for me. I really think this exceptional self-confidence helps him compensate and thrive in his own way.”