Acts of Kindness
Mom delivers healthy baby, but right after birth hears baby scream & realizes doctors mistake
The newborn was mishandled by the doctor right after his birth and it cost the family big.
Marco Valens
06.16.20

A parents’ dream can quickly turn into a nightmare when they realize something’s wrong with their newborn baby. The day mom delivers a healthy infant is the happiest day in her life but sadly, sometimes nature, as well as human error, can interfere and affect the newborn baby for the rest of its life.

Five-year-old Maddox is just like any other normal kid out there, but he has a problem which has been affecting him since birth

YouTube Screenshot
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YouTube Screenshot

At first glance, five-year-old Maddox is not unlike any other kid of his age, playful, curious, energetic, and clever, however, Maddox has a rare disease that he has been diagnosed with at birth.

Just five years old, Maddox likes to play his tiny ukulele and loves to bounce on the trampoline. “He’s got so much energy,” his dad Charlie says, though you can notice that something’s amiss.

Imagine how different your life would be if you couldn’t smile

YouTube Screenshot
Source:
YouTube Screenshot

Little Maddox is a very energetic kid who has a talent for many things and yet there’s one thing which most of us take for granted that he can’t do – smile. If you’re wondering how’s that possible, Maddox is suffering from a rare condition called ‘Moebius syndromethat affects one in million babies.

Moebius syndrome is a rare neurological condition that primarily affects the muscles that control facial expression and eye movement. The signs and symptoms of this condition are present from birth.”

There’s a twist in the story, however. Maddox’s mom, Danielle, tells a heartbreaking story of how her son’s birth was mishandled by a doctor.

A doctor’s error contributed to Maddox’s condition

YouTube Screenshot
Source:
YouTube Screenshot

“I remember them saying a 7:59 time of birth,” Danielle told the media. “And right immediately after that, I heard Charlie scream.”

Maddox’s parents claim the doctor dropped their newborn son.

“I’ve been through a lot in the military,” Charlie, who is a veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said. “A lot different feeling when you see your son falling.”

Soon after the incident, Maddox was diagnosed with Moebius syndrome and the doctors told his parents that he’d never be able to smile, nor be able to frown or blink.

“I remember my therapist saying, don’t treat him as if he’s different, so I treat him as if there’s nothing wrong,” his mom said.

Maddox’s parents aren’t willing to give up and they won’t rest until they bring a smile to their son’s face

GoFundMe/Danielle Templer
Source:
GoFundMe/Danielle Templer

Despite his condition, Maddox is an active kid, who likes to swim in his pool and run around the house. Since he’s unable to smile, he puts his fingers up to simulate a smile. Maddox’s condition is a concern to his parents, who feel that his inability to smile may affect his interaction skills with other kids when he starts going to kindergarten.

Danielle and Charlie are determined to put a smile on their son’s face and make him feel like any other kid of his age. They set up a GoFundMe page to raise the $100,000 needed for surgery.

“His smile makes him so happy”

Danielle Templer on Facebook
Source:
Danielle Templer on Facebook

“It makes a big, big difference,” Danielle said. “It’s instrumental. It’s a bond. It’s a lot of things, a smile.”

A year after his parents have set up a GoFundMe page, little Maddox had undergone a complex surgery and was able to show his smile to the world for the first time!

‘He is more confident and more likely to speak in front of others now. He was such a trooper for surgery, never even asked for pain medicine – it was a long, tough surgery too,” his happy mom told the media.

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