Baby Owen Masterson, from Missouri, USA, was born with acalvaria – a rare condition that results in the fetus being born without the bones of the face and skull. His parents, Tom and Jessica, were told that their son had little chance of survival. Even before birth, doctors predicted that Owen would likely not survive in the womb or would face significant trauma during birth. They recommended that the pregnancy be terminated.

Owen Masterson was born with a skull defect and some facial bones missing.

Owen’s condition was detected during an ultrasound at 24 weeks into the pregnancy, when doctors were unsure if his brain was fully covered by his skull. After consulting with an ultrasound specialist, Tom and Jessica were informed that Owen had “very abnormal brain development,” but the doctor couldn’t provide a specific diagnosis for the baby’s condition. At 27 weeks pregnant, they learned that Owen had acalvaria, a condition that is unlikely to result in survival.

Nevertheless, the couple remained steadfast in their decision to keep the baby. Despite the bleak predictions from doctors, the baby boy was born, bringing joy to the entire family. “I felt that when he was in my mother’s womb, he was safe. I couldn’t do anything when he was born and after that. I thought like that, that my son needed to stay,” Jessica said.

The doctors diagnosed the baby as not likely to survive, so the mother was advised to consider terminating the pregnancy, which meant aborting the baby.

A day and a half after his birth, Owen was allowed to go home, and the medical community was stunned by his strong survival ability. Despite an ear infection and a stomach virus infection, Owen survived in a fairly stable condition for the first year. However, he can’t crawl or move as easily as other babies and needs mobility aids.

Owen survived despite all the dire predictions made by the doctors.

However, the boy faces many challenges without a skull, having weak health and being unable to move on his own like other children.

So far, Owen is 4 years old and his health condition is still quite good. With a missing skull and some birth defects, the boy, despite many difficulties, still manages well every day.

Doctors do not know how long Owen will be able to live, but the family remains optimistic, believing that there is still hope as the boy has been resilient against “Death” for the past 4 years. The couple, Tom and Jessica, still occasionally share pictures of Owen on their social networking sites. To them, Owen is a resilient “warrior,” and they will always place their trust in him.