Disclaimer: This story may be triggering to parents of medically complex children.

This story was shared on Love What Matters by a family member who witnessed how this boys’ parents and the rest of their relatives believed and fervently hoped and prayed that he would survive despite all odds.

On September 12, 2018, the parents could not believe the bad news that they are hearing. Their baby, Leo, that his parents already love so much even if he isn’t born yet, is diagnosed with a disease called “Osteogenesis Imperfecta” or also called the Brittle Bone Disease.

His doctors said: “He is broken and breaking.”

The doctors confirmed that Leo has Type 2 Osteogenesis Imperfecta and that this is always fatal. Leo may die during pregnancy or shortly after birth. The doctors told mom and dad that there’s only one option, that “It would be kinder to terminate.”

After learning about what happened, the soon-to-be parents could not seem to process the bad news. Leo’s mommy was devastated but still trying to hold it together. Even though this news broke their hearts, they remained strong for their baby.

And within a week, Leo’s family had discussed all of the possibilities. If the doctors were right about his condition, then what would be the best decision to make? But for Leo’s family, it was never a question. “We would take what we could get, and pray they were wrong,” the family member wrote.

They did as the doctors had suggested. Even though it was tough, they planned Leo’s funeral. Still, they do not forget the possibility that the doctors may be wrong. For the next four months, they would discuss what their life would be like with Leo.

And on Christmas, Leo’s mommy wanted to take lots of pictures with everyone she loved, in case this was the only Christmas that she got to spend with her little boy. And at this time, the doctors are still firm with their belief that Leo would not live beyond a week. They know that the week with Leo that the doctors are talking about will never be easy, but they will take it if that’s all that would be given to them.

And on January 11, 2019, at 11:10 AM in room 117, Leo was born weighing 5 pounds 11 ounces. They named him Leo Alexander. He is crying, alive, and doing perfectly well on his own!

They knew it, the doctors were wrong!

Even though he isn’t perfect, they are happy because he is alive. And since that day, Leo began to show the world that he is ready to beat all odds.

Six months later, Leo is surviving. The doctors told his family that he would be in the NICU for 3 to 6 months. But Leo fought back. He only spent 19 days in the NICU of Vanderbilt’s Children’s Hospital. He was in Stallman NICU for 6 days, and then he was in Children’s NICU for 8 days, and then he was in the ‘home’ room for 5 days.

Then in less than three weeks after he was born, Leo is ready to go home…

Life with Leo is like a roller coaster but for his family, the highs are more than worth it than the lows. They are grateful for every second of every day that they are able to spend with him.