A Shreveport, La., boy who was born without a brain died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 12.
His sheer existence beyond 12 weeks defied all doctor and all odds.
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Trevor Judge Waltrip was born on Christmas Eve of 2001, with just a brain stem, a condition in which the brain’s cerebral hemispheres are absent to varying degrees and the remaining cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
Trevor had a rare condition in which his brain’s cerebral hemispheres were completely missing, replaced with only cerebrospinal fluid.
Waltrip was unable to communicate and was also blind, but he did have a heartbeat and was able to breathe on his own. He also could respond to some forms of stimulus. “He’s so alert and hates to be alone,” said his mother, Elizabeth. source
Originally doctors were unsure if Waltrip would be able to make it past just 12 weeks old, since babies with the condition usually don’t live to be born. However he defied the odds by nearly living to be a teenager.
