A baby boy who was born with his bowel, intestines and liver on the outside of his body due to a rare birth defect has inspired his family and doctors with his miraculous recovery.
Doctors thought it would be a year before Hayden Hoskins, who was born in January, would be able to have the organs tucked inside his body - but he underwent reconstructive surgery this summer.
Hayden's parents, Kelsea and Andy Hopkins, from Quincy, Illinois, revealed their son's amazing recovery as they threw a benefit to help raise funds for his care this weekend.
They first learned that something was not right during a routine ultrasound at 19 weeks.
Fighter: Hayden Hoskins, propped up on the family dog, shows his amazing recovery just nine months after he was born with his organs outside his body. He has now undergone reconstructive surgery
The ultrasound showed a large sac at his stomach area and doctors told his stunned parents he suffered from a birth defect known as an Omphalocele, where the organs grow outside the body.
The condition is a type of hernia that develops in the baby before birth and only occurs in one in 10,000 babies, KHQA reported.
It meant that Hayden was growing part of his abdominal organs in a protective sac near his umbilical cord. It affected his intestines, stomach and liver.
Kelsea headed to the delivery room ahead of schedule due to high blood pressure, and she and her husband were surrounded by a team of doctors and nurses ready to ensure the baby's survival.
Fears: A rare birth condition meant his liver, intestines and bowel were born in a sac outside his body
Fragile: The sac was bandaged and doctors thought it would be a year before he could have surgery
Condition: An Omphalocele is a type of hernia that develops in the baby before birth
To everyone's relief, Hayden let out a few strong screams and showed no signs of the potential heart and kidney trouble that can have fatal results for a newborn Omphalocele.
'Really the test is when he's here how he does, so it's always very reassuring when babies come out and they cry,' his doctor, Dr Allison Cahill, said just after the birth. 'Once he got over here he needed a little bit more help with his breathing so he has a tube down his windpipe.'
Hayden was immediately slipped into a medical zip-lock bag to preserve body heat and fluid, and he was rushed to the NICU at nearby Children's Hospital.
While doctors had expected to wait a year before putting his organs back inside his body, they discovered he was the best case scenario and he underwent surgery in June.
Miracle: But doctors deemed Andy and Kelsea's baby boy, all pictured after his birth in January, strong enough to have surgery after five months and now he is recovering well
Growing boy: Just months later and Hayden is doing well. His parents are raising money for his health costs
Happy: The family keeps relatives, friends and strangers updated with their progress on a blog
'He's doing fantastic,' Hayden's physician, Dr. Kathy Asbury, told KHQA. 'He's rolling over. He has great head control.'
Residents turned out to raise money for the family at Columbus Road Church Kids Zone on Saturday. The funds will go towards his health costs at St Louis Children's Hospital.
'I think one of the things with this benefit and Hayden's journey is the phenomenal faith that Andy and Kelsea have had,' Dr. Asbury added. 'I think Hayden's really a miracle.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2439035/Inspiring-recovery-miracle-baby-born-bowel-intestines-liver-outside-body.html#ixzz2gPHY6Lpr
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