Woman born without brain turns 20, family calls her ‘miracle’

Alex Simpson has just made history as she turns 20 years old.

When Alex Simpson was born in Nebraska, she was a happy and healthy baby. But when she was 2 months old, the family got a devastating health diagnosis for her that shocked them.

Doctors said that Alex had hydranencephaly, a rare birth defect that impacted her brain development.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, this condition is when a newborn ‘is missing certain portions of their brain called the cerebral hemispheres.’ This usually happens one in 5,000 to one in 10,000 pregnancies.