The parents of a baby who was born with two faces have applauded the courage of their son for surviving and thriving while carrying the “Sonic the Hedgehog” gene.
Only 36 people worldwide have the disease called craniofacial duplication, which Tres Johnson, from Missouri, possesses.
This disease is caused by the Sonic the Hedgehog (SHH) gene, which makes the patient live only 10 years and distorts the development of the skull.
Tres’ parents Brandy and Joshua were constantly told by doctors that he was likely to have passed away a long time ago, but Tres has overcome the obstacles to spend his 18th birthday.
The kid was born with a cleft, two distinct noses, and a skull with a unique, duplicate form, according to a 2017 story by The Sun. He also has seizures and cognitive disabilities.
At the time, Brandy, Tres’ 40-year-old mother and full-time caregiver, said:
“When he was born he had such a large cleft that it went up into his nasal passage and you could see into his sinus cavity as it was all open.”
“His one eye looked like it was bulging out and the other sucked in, because his eyes are further apart he sees peripherally instead.”
However, with the help of medication, his health has significantly improved, and according to his parents, cannabis oil has caused his daily seizure count to drop from 400 to only 40.
In order to help the teenager, he has also had surgery to restructure his skull and fix a split in his face.
When speaking about how tough it was to see her kid for the first time as a baby, Brandy stated:
“When they bought him into my room he was hooked up to a carrier box with all of his monitors, the only thing I could touch was his leg.”
“Doctors weren’t going to sustain Tres and planned to let him pass if my husband hadn’t fought for him.”
“Once I found out he was here and still alive that was all that mattered to us, we were always in it for the long haul.”
The family is hoping to continue receiving support for their kid from medical experts who regard him as “a person and not a case study.”
Brandy shared: “One offered us a ‘miracle surgery’ to make him look normal, but I don’t care about how he looks, what’s important is he is alive and comfortable.”