In perhaps one of the most amazing examples of human survival, Trevor Judge Waltrip, a boy born without a brain, died Monday after living for 12 years. Rendered blind and unable to communicate by his condition, Trevor still found a way to touch the lives of those who knew him before peacefully passing away in his sleep.

As a result of a rare condition called hydranencephaly, Trevor's skull only contained sacs filled with cerebrospinal fluid. Trevor was born with a brain stem, which allowed him to breathe, respond to some stimulus, and of course maintain a heartbeat, KSLA reported. The young man surely beat all odds, surviving for 12 years when doctors only gave him 12 weeks.

Hydranencephaly is an extremely deadly congenital disease. It's rare for individuals with this condition to survive a live birth — never mind live over a decade. With only the help of a feeding tube and therapists to stimulate his muscles and joints, Trevor did just that. "I look at it like he's here for a reason and I thank God every day for it," Trevor’s mother Elizabeth Waltrip told KSLA back in 2005. Based on the many encouraging comments left on Trevor's Facebook obituary, it’s obvious that his mere survival helped to instill feelings of hope for parents everywhere taking care of severely disabled children.

Hydranencephaly varies in degrees, with Trevor's complete absence of a brain being on the more extreme end of the illness. In children with the condition, something interrupts the brain’s development in vitro. The damage to the brain’s formation, as well as the way the child will eventually develop, greatly varies from each case. The family is asking for help to cover his funeral costs. Those interested can make donations at any Chase Bank under the “Trevor Judge Waltrip Donation Account,” KSLA reported.

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