Doctors gave baby Leo just days to live.
Diagnosed with Type 2 osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, Leo likely would suffer and then die shortly before or after his birth, doctors told his parents, Cheyenne and Michael Potts, according to Live Action News.
Cheyenne learned the heartbreaking news on her birthday, Sept. 12, 2018, when she was about 20 weeks pregnant with Leo. Though devastated, she and her family refused to give up all hope for their unborn baby boy.
Her mother and Leo’s grandmother recently shared their story on the blog Love What Matters: “‘He is broken and breaking,’ say the doctors. Type 2, they tell his parents, no hope. Always fatal. He may die during pregnancy or, certainly, shortly after birth. ‘It would be kinder to terminate,’ they tell his mom and dad.”
The Potts family refused to consider aborting their son who was “already so incredibly loved and wanted,” his grandmother wrote. She said they began praying that the doctors were wrong, but they also started planning for Leo’s funeral, not knowing how much time they might have with him.
At Christmas time, “the doctors still all agreed Leo would not live beyond a week, and that week would be one of pain,” she continued.
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Leo Alexander arrived in January, weighing 5 pounds, 11 ounces, according to the report.
“Crying, alive, and doing it on his own! The doctors were wrong,” his grandmother wrote. “Was he perfect? No, he was perfectly imperfect, and he was HERE. Alive, and a fighter. That day, Leo began to show the world that he would write his own book.
Days turned into weeks and weeks into months. After 38 days in the hospital, he was well enough to go home, his grandmother said. Recently, he turned six months old – a milestone that his parents once thought was impossible.
Leo still struggles with health problems. He is extremely fragile, and brittle bone disease increases the risks of hearing loss and problems with the spine and heart, the report states. But his life – like every child’s – is worthy of love and protection.
“Leo has had a lot of ups and downs in the past 6 months, life with Leo is like a roller coaster of the highest highs and the lowest lows,” his grandmother said. “But those highs are more than worth it, and we are grateful for every second of every day.
“He is an amazingly happy spirit and we see him touch and inspire people everywhere he goes. His family, most of all,” she concluded.
