US woman born without brain defies all odds to celebrate 20th birthday

A United States woman born without a brain, whose parents were told that she won’t make it to 5, turned 20 in a medical miracle earlier this month.

The Nebraska based Alex Simpson defied all the odds and celebrated her 20th birthday on November 4, 2025.

Simpson was declared a healthy child at the time of her birth, however, a check-up two months later revealed that she was suffering from hydranencephaly.

For context, hydranencephaly is a severe condition where the brain's cerebral hemispheres are absent and the cranial cavity is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

The rare condition left Simpson with only pea-sized brain matter at the base of her skull and doctors said that she won’t survive beyond the age of four.

Simpson lives without parts of the brain that are responsible for seeing and hearing. Her family believes that she’s more aware than others.

“If somebody’s stressed around her. Nothing will even happen but Alex will feel something and she’ll know,” Simpson’s 14-year-old brother told KETV.

Simpson’s family considers her a source of strength and calls her a miracle.

Hydranencephaly is an extremely rare condition and it affects less than 1 people in every 10,000 births worldwide.