She Wasn't Supposed to Live Past 4, Now at 20, Woman Born Without a Brain Is a Living Miracle

She wasn’t supposed to live past 4; now, at 20, this woman, who was born without a brain, is a living miracle. Some stories stretch past what doctors can explain—stories that remind us that love can be a lifeline, faith can be a fortress, and the human spirit can rise where science has no blueprint. In Omaha, Nebraska, one young woman is living such a story.

Alex Simpson just turned 20 years old, a milestone doctors never believed she would reach.

Alex is a Woman Born Without a Brain

RELATED: Danny Bonaduce Opens Up About The Mystery Illness That Wreaked Havoc On His Life

Alex was born with hydranencephaly, a rare condition in which most of the brain is absent and replaced with cerebrospinal fluid. Her father, Shawn, describes it plainly: “[Hydranencephaly] means that her brain is not there. Technically, she has about half the size of my pinky finger of her cerebellum in the back part of her brain, but that's all that's there.”

When she was born, physicians gently warned her parents, Shawn and Lorena, that she likely wouldn’t live past age four. Most children with hydranencephaly don’t survive their first year.

But Alex did.

And then she kept going.

And this month, she celebrated her 20th birthday.

Love is the Reason She is Still Here

Her family says the reason she’s still here can be summed up in one word: love.

Though Alex cannot see or hear, her parents believe she knows when they are near. Her father notices how she turns her head and shifts her eyes when he speaks. “You can see that…she was looking for me,” he said, gently mimicking her movements.

They believe she feels their presence the way flowers turn toward light, quietly, instinctively, unmistakably.

Shawn and Lorena have never pretended the journey was easy. The early years were marked by fear, sleepless nights, and a multitude of unknowns. But through it all, one thing carried them more than anything else.

Faith is What Kept Them Going

RELATED: Overcomer Jen Lowright Has Miracle Baby After Deadly Illness & Husband's Death

“Twenty years ago, we were scared, but faith, I think, is really what kept us alive,” Shawn said.

Lorena’s voice only adds the truth they’ve lived for two decades: “She’s a fighter.”

Alex’s younger brother, 14-year-old SJ, speaks of her with a pride that catches in your chest. “When people ask about my family, the first thing I start with is Alex, my disabled sister,” he says. He believes she understands far more than anyone realizes: “Say somebody’s stressed around her…it could be completely silent, but Alex will know. She’ll feel something.” He added.

Science estimates that hydranencephaly appears in just 1 in 5,000 to 10,000 pregnancies. Most babies never go home. And yet here is Alex, wrapped in blankets, surrounded by family, cherished beyond measure, teaching the world that life doesn’t need to look typical to be sacred.

Her Story is About Endurance

Her story is not one of medical explanations or miraculous cures.

Her story is about endurance.

About a young woman who breathes and fights and surprises everyone who said she couldn’t.

In the end, Alex’s life is not measured by the milestones she misses, but by the love she draws out of every person who meets her. She is a reminder that even the most fragile lives can carry the weight of extraordinary meaning.

Faith carried her family.

Love carried her further still.

And somehow—against every prediction—Alex keeps writing a story none of the doctors expected.

A story that can only be described as a miracle in motion.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Firefighter Miraculously Starts Breathing Again After Mystery Illness Nearly Kills Him

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.”

WATCH: She Wasn't Supposed to Live Past 4, Now at 20, Woman Born Without a Brain Is a Living Miracle

LISTEN: After Months of Paralysis, Mom Tells Son 'I Love You' | Neighbor Saves the Life of a Newborn Baby Whose Mom Passed Away

h/t: People

Featured Image Credit: YouTube/WHAS11

Heather Riggleman is a believer, wife, mom, author, social media consultant, and full-time writer. She lives in Minden, Nebraska with her kids, high school sweetheart, and three cats who are her entourage around the homestead. She is a former award-winning journalist with over 2,000 articles published. She is full of grace and grit, raw honesty, and truly believes tacos can solve just about any situation. You can find her on GodUpdates, iBelieve, Crosswalk, Hello Darling, Focus On The Family, and in Brio Magazine. Connect with her at www.HeatherRiggleman.com or on Facebook.