Boy Born Without a Brain Dies - This is not a joke

I was reading the news and came across this story about a boy who recently died. He was born three years ago without a brain and having only a brain stem. I don't know how this is even possible and according to the doctors he should have been dead within hours. For any who choose to comment; please remember that this family just lost the child and be respectful.

Fox News - Associated Press - Colorado boy dies after 3 years without a brain

KOAA - "Miracle" child born without brain dies in Pueblo

While my thoughts and prayers go out to the family, I don't understand how is even possible. The boy was responsive and smiled and appears to have recognized his family. It raises so many questions about consciousness, the soul, the function of our brain and what is possible. The boy was not on any machines according to the grandmother.

I am not particularly up or interested in medical things. I don't even go see my own doctor. I would be very interested in what people think of this that come from a medical background. How was this even possible is my question.

It was possible because the brainstem controls all the involuntary vital organ functions. The breathing, heartbeat etc. is controlled by the little bit of nub in the brain, just above the spine - where it connects into the brain.

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


Dear Trexter Ziam,

Maybe; but, that the doctors said he shouldn't have lived beyond a day. Why would they say that if it is nothing special?

Originally posted by AQuestion
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

Dear Trexter Ziam,

Maybe; but, that the doctors said he shouldn't have lived beyond a day. Why would they say that if it is nothing special?

Science and technology can't explain some things. This is a very special case.

reply to post by AQuestion


A certain person I know used to work in a hospital ward for newborns and told me about that condition. She said they "could" live as long as up to twenty-one years or so. But, instead of letting the parents know about the baby's condition, they tell the parents the baby is stillborn and then they STARVE it to death. I was flabbergasted. She said there's no hospital laws that say you have to feed and give water to patients. They simply have no idea HOW LONG because it depends on too many things. This is the same religion hospital that denied abortion, even though they KNOW the baby will be born with that condition. Then, they slow starve it to death. Babies takes longer than adults to starve and dehydrate.

I checked and see the nurse who told me up to 21 years of age was in error.

en.wikipedia.org...

To date, there are only three recorded cases of anencephalic children surviving for longer periods of time: Stephanie Keene of Falls Church, Virginia, who lived for 2 years 174 days; Vitoria de Cristo, born in Brazil in January 2010 and surviving until July 17, 2012;[15] and Nickolas Coke[16] of Pueblo, Colorado, who lived for 3 years and 11 months

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


I call bunk on that because one boy with the condition makes the news when he dies, it is extremely, extremely rare.

Even if the body functions, there is no life there without the brain.

reply to post by nixie_nox


Too late, I already debunked it myself.

reply to post by nixie_nox


If he is smiling and interacting then I think the soul is there. The brain is the just the transmitter.

reply to post by AQuestion


How interesting. In a world where stem cell research is limited by laws guiding what can and cannot be done in the name of science, how convenient it would be if there was some way to bring a person into this world that lacked a soul, or what we might consider the origin of a soul. A body, or a receptacle of body parts, including the most valuable parts if stem cells, which could be harvested since there's no consciousness. To say that science cannot manipulate the embryo so that it is born without a brain... Is it possible, probable? Experimentation to see how lomg a body born without a brain can actually live and grow. A brave new world

www.wvec.com...

Here is another case.

"And then his second birthday came around, and it's like he's getting better. He's laughing. He's learning to interact with us," said Eric.

Last Tuesday, Rachel said she was out of town and got a call from her home nurse saying that Josiah had stopped breathing and died.

Video shows a smiling happy child.

Bodies do not grow souls! Theyre just temporary suits we use to lean, soul is infinite part of infinity

Originally posted by nixie_nox
reply to post by Trexter Ziam

 

I call bunk on that because one boy with the condition makes the news when he dies, it is extremely, extremely rare.

Even if the body functions, there is no life there without the brain.

Apparently not.

Originally posted by Trexter Ziam
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

Too late, I already debunked it myself.

I think not.

reply to post by Hydrawolf


Did to. The 21 years plus I was told was in error. THAT's the bunk. It's just under four years according to Wiki. See above.

Originally posted by Unity_99
reply to post by nixie_nox

 

If he is smiling and interacting then I think the soul is there. The brain is the just the transmitter.

so smiling without a brain (muscle contractions that can happen involuntarily even.... which they could be considering this kids..... neurological situation) is evidence of a soul because you put forth the idea that the brain is some kind of transmitter (i think you mean receiver or possibly both btw)

and yet here he is apparently with no intermediary between the soul and body.... exhibiting motor functions..... so then the brain isnt a transmitter or receiver and its all the soul? we may as well pull all our brains out its ok folks.... our souls will do the thinking for us!

my god! think of what could have been.... they could have proven once and for all the existence of god and a soul by measuring the electrical impulses that are allowing his body to function and realizing theyre coming from nowhere and it must be a soul!

this logic is so flawless im just dumbfounded that nobody has thought of it before ..... we could all be living in a religious paradise by now with no personal responsibility or need to ask questions.... but no we have to be stuck with this "science" bs...... just a trick by satan.... thats what it is you know

ps thank god for the miracle of allowing this kid to be born without a brain and dying at such a young age so we could understand this.... totally worth it and theres absolutely no better way for a god to pass knowledge to people

This condition is called anencephaly and there can be more or less 'higher' brain present. Almost always, the skull is missing and what brain there is is covered by a membrane. If the child has some higher brain development, they could possibly show signs of consciousness or a personality of sorts but the majority don't survive more than a few hours after birth. The baby shown in the video has a full skull and it would appear that his cranium was filled full of fluid, no brain except the brainstem.

Think of a normal human brain as having four parts; the brainstem which controls heartbeat and respiration, the 'reptilian' brain which would be capable of what we think of in that level animal (feeding and reproductive behaviors), a mammalian brain which is capable of learning and using tools of sorts, and then there is the top level of brain that humans have just on the outside of the brain that is capable of cognitive thought and aware of time, etc; true consciousness. Of course the amount of brain mass very much determines the amount of thought and cognition possible; a crow brain is not capable of as much rational thought as a chimpanzee (and if you go by this meter, dolphins and whales are far more intelligent than humans).

The anencephalic child may only have the cognitive ability of a cat or even less, a small rodent. Medicine does not consider them capable of feeling pain or being conscious at all but I would have to argue with that. Not ever having seen one, I wouldn't know, though. A lot of doctors still do minor surgery like circumcision on normal newborns without anesthesia, which I think is cruel and possibly unnecessarily traumatic.

The times when nurses have told the mother that 'the baby died' and not shown it to her may simply be to spare the mother the horror of the full awareness of what she has given birth to. Different people would react to the news very differently and since the vast majority of these infants do not survive more than a few hours, it may be a kindness to all concerned not to try to salvage the situation. Very tough call for all concerned, believe me. The doctors and nurses are not being heartless, just doing the best they know how in very unusual and awful circumstances. It would be highly unusual for an obstetrician, or even an entire hospital, to ever see even one of these cases since most probably spontaneously miscarry.

In a case where an anencephalic child survives for quite some time, I would presume there was more brain development and thus the ability of the child to show some personality (just like pets or small animals do.)

Originally posted by Trexter Ziam
reply to post by Hydrawolf

 

Did to. The 21 years plus I was told was in error. THAT's the bunk. It's just under four years according to Wiki. See above.

Sorry, I didn't realize that you were talking about debunking your own statement that originally attempted to make this case out to be nothing special.

reply to post by AQuestion


Believe it or not my daughter's friend from high school had a nephew who was born without a brain three years ago, but he only survived for two and a half months. He was a beautiful baby, as many pictures were posted of him. Her friend loved him very much and swore that he knew who she was personally whenever she held him. She was devastated when he passed away.

Originally posted by elrem48
reply to post by AQuestion

 

Believe it or not my daughter's friend from high school had a nephew who was born without a brain three years ago, but he only survived for two and a half months. He was a beautiful baby, as many pictures were posted of him. Her friend loved him very much and swore that he knew who she was personally whenever she held him. She was devastated when he passed away.

edit on 3-11-2012 by elrem48 because: (no reason given)

all just part of gods plan he created that baby gave it those problems and then killed it so that she could have that emotionally moving experience and grow as a person

really you have to see the good in the situation
god works in mysterious ways and this was for the best because god can do no wrong

reply to post by Hydrawolf


Never once did I say it wasn't special. My first post was an answer to the OP's last sentence and question which was:

How was this even possible is my question.

I merely explained briefly HOW it was possible, that's all.

reply to post by sirhumperdink


all

just part of gods plan he created that baby gave it those problems and then killed it so that she could have that emotionally moving experience and grow as a person

Yeah, I like that...and here's a quote along those lines of thought...If Heaven made him - earth can find some use for him. ~Chinese Proverb