A couple from Texas are beseeching people to pray for their little boy after he was born without skin.
According to reports, Priscilla Maldonado Gray and Marvin Gray were expecting a normal pregnancy as they prepared to welcome their third child to the world.
When Ja’bari Gray came into the world, however, doctors and nurses were shocked into silence.
“It was just completely silent,” mom Priscilla recalled. “You expect people to be happy after you have a baby and I had no idea until they put me in a room and explained what was going on.”
It transpired that Ja’bari had been born weighing just three pounds, and with no skin on his body save for on his legs and head. What’s more, the boy’s eyes were fused shut, and his chin was fused to his chest.
Doctors immediately set about trying to figure out what was wrong so that they could help him, though it proved a difficult task. At first it was believed young Ja’bari was suffering from a rare skin condition known as Aplasia Cutis, but after being transferred to Texas Children’s Hospital – which houses specialists more experienced with rare skin diseases – this no longer appears the case.
Instead, doctors now suspect a rare disorder called Epidermolysis bullosa, a genetic condition that makes skin extremely delicate. Tests have been undertaken, but the results may take some time to come back, resulting in a difficult period for his parents.
“He’s been in the hospital his whole life,” Priscilla said. “I’ve been able to hold him twice, but you have to be dressed in a gown and gloved-up. It’s not skin-to-skin. It’s not the same.”
Looking to the future
Ja’bari currently has to be fed through a tube in his nose, whilst hospital staff have to regularly change his dressings, apply topical ointments and administer pain medication.
“It could be two to three weeks before they have an answer,” Priscilla explained. “They don’t want to treat my son for the wrong thing.”
With doctors currently planning surgery to separate the boy’s throat and chin from his chest, his family are now calling for prayers to help them on the long road ahead.
“Each and every day is a blessing that he is still fighting to live on this Earth,” they said on a GoFundMe page that has thus far raised more than $40,000.
“From day one, they said he had no chance of surviving and I would hate to give up or [for] everybody else to give up on him when he’s made it this far in life. I just want my baby to be home and be normal and [to] be able to hold [him.]”
Our thoughts and prayers are with little Ja’bari and his family. God bless you!
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