(People) – A Nebraska woman born without a brain just celebrated her 20th birthday — and is defying the odds. Alex Simpson of Omaha was born with a rare condition known as hydranencephaly, according to her parents, Shawn and Lorena Simpson, who spoke with local news outlet KETV News about the milestone.
“[Hydranencephaly] means that her brain is not there,” Shawn told the outlet. “Technically, she has about half the size of my pinky finger of her cerebellum in the back part of her brain, but that’s all that’s there.”
“Twenty years ago, we were scared but faith, I think, is really what kept us alive,” he said. “She’s a fighter,” Lorena added. CONTINUE