Birthdays are a special occasion for families to celebrate, but one family in Florida are over the moon their son has reached another year older.

Jaxon Buell has just turned 2 years old which has amazed his family and medical experts who predicted Jaxon wouldn’t live to see his second birthday.

Jaxon was born with microhydranencephaly, a brain malformation where 80% of his brain was missing.

Brandon Buell, Jaxon’s dad, told Today.com, “Microhydranencephaly is a more complicated version of microcephaly, the birth defect linked to the Zika virus.”

Brandon explained further to Today.com, “The doctors believe his brain just stopped forming a few weeks into the pregnancy.

“The doctors originally told us he’d probably never hear, see, talk because the components of the brain that make those things happen are not there. He’s doing those things against the odds.”

Via Jaxon Strong Facebook Page

At 2, Jaxon can follow conversations when people talk to him by moving his head. He can recognise his name and starts to smile when it’s called. He is also getting better using his hands.

“If we play noses, he’ll reach his hand up to grab our faces. Those seem like very, very small things for a typically developing child, but for him, those are milestones,” added Brandon.

The Buells never take a day for granted and do their best to enjoy each day they have with Jaxon. Doctors can’t diagnose Jaxon’s prognosis as his situation is so rare. They aren’t sure how to help him.

“No one knows what tomorrow will bring for him. We were told that he would not make it to 2 years old and he passed it,” said Brandon.

Jaxon suffers from seizures and is on doses of medication that are constantly adjusted. Sometimes Jaxon ends up in hospital. The two year old is also fed through a tube, but despite the challenges, the Buell’s make life as fun as possible for their little boy.

“We celebrate Jaxon’s life every single day. We try to make it special for him. Whether reading a book in his room or cuddling on the couch together, it’s the littlest thing, but for him, it’s the world.”

So far, Jaxon is defying the odds and the Buells don’t take their son’s life for granted. They want their story to be shared because, “Even when there’s a dark situation, every life should be celebrated, valued, and cherished.”

To keep update with Jaxon’s progress, follow his Facebook page at Jaxon Strong.

We wish Jaxon a very happy 2nd Birthday.