He was never expected to make it past two weeks old.
But five years later, Jude Peters is thriving, stunning doctors as he hits milestone after milestone.
His parents Hannah and Sully were told to prepare for the worst early on in the pregnancy.
Their obstetrician in Charlotte, North Carolina, said scans suggested their baby would have some form of skeletal dysplasia, but it wasn't clear to what extent.
Two days after he was born, he was diagnosed with a rare developmental brain disorder, which causes dwarfism, rhizomelic chondrodysplasia punctata (RCDP).
Sixty percent of 'Rhizo kids' don't make it to their first birthday, and another 30 percent don't make it to two. The condition impacts the development of their lungs, brain and skeleton so severely that it often proves fatal. Those who survive cannot eat, talk and walk.
Doctors said they would only have a couple of weeks with him, at best, but they would try to operate, putting in a feeding tube.
Jude Peters was diagnosed with RCDP, a rare brain developmental disorder, at two days old
Doctors told Sully and Hannah (pictured) to prepare for the worst; that he wouldn't live two weeks
After multiple surgeries, Jude was stable, and could have home treatment
Jude celebrated his fifth birthday in hospital, since he recently contracted an infection
To their astonishment, he made it to one, then two, then three, four, and this year, on April 17, he turned five.
He spent the day in hospital, surround by balloons and toys, since he had recently contracted an infection.
But today, on national RCDP day, his parents are celebrating how far he has come.
'He has defied the odds and has continued to be a fighter. Our miracle boy,' Hannah said.
'Regardless of all the medical challenges he has faced and still faces, Jude is filled with immense joy. He loves meeting new people and smiles every single day.'
Jude is wheelchair-bound and, due to his spinal stenosis, his joints are contracted, meaning he needs weekly therapy, which he loves and looks forward to.
He will inevitably face more operations, and they are always trying to learn about new treatments, attending an RCDP medical conference every year in Alabama, where they can meet with other families and medical experts.
Getting his treatment plan in place has been a years-long endeavor.
Jude is wheelchair-bound and, due to his spinal stenosis, his joints are contracted, meaning he needs weekly therapy, which he loves and looks forward to
He will inevitably face more operations, and they are always trying to learn about new treatments, attending an RCDP medical conference every year in Alabama, where
