This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On January 1st, 37 weeks into her pregnancy, Priscilla Maldonado gave birth to Ja'bari Gray, a baby born without skin, in Houston, Texas.
Published on October 11, 2019, Ja'bari's story has captured the hearts of many, as he defies the odds of a rare condition that has only been seen in two other babies, both of whom did not survive.
Ja'bari's mother, Priscilla Maldonado, shared with ABC 13 Houston that doctors realized Ja'bari was born without skin, his eyelids were sealed shut, and his arms and legs weren't separated from his body.
"He literally from the neck down, from the front and back nothing, there was no skin and even parts of his legs, he had no skin," Maldonado said.
Ja'bari's condition required him to receive breathing assistance and constant doses of pain medication to survive. However, thanks to a skin transplant using skin grown in a Boston lab, Ja'bari is now able to receive skin-to-skin contact for the first time.
"Now you can kiss him, touch him, do all that stuff," Maldonado said. "He got to wear his first set of clothes now, so he's getting there."
