Girl Born without a Jaw Grows One with Doctors’ Help — At 7, She Looks ‘Beautiful’ Showing Off Her Smile

A Seattle family was excited to welcome their little bundle of joy until they learned that she had some issues that may affect her quality of life. In fact, when she was born, her family was not even sure she would survive.

When little Lexi was born, her parents found she had no jaw. The condition left the family baffled, and Lexi could not breathe without the help of a tracheostomy. Her bottom jaw mirrored the top, and it was fused to her skull.

What came next were multiple medical treatments aimed at helping Lexi live an everyday life. Now, she is fourteen and has undergone all the procedures necessary to be able to breathe independently and speak.

By the time Lexi turned three, doctors knew it was time for her to have her first major surgery. When she was four, she was finally able to have the operation that would begin her journey to being able to breathe and speak. Her condition is called an auriculo-condylar syndrome.

Doctors determined that Lexi had the condition while she was still in utero. The situation is rare, and doctors at the hospital where Lexi was born had only seen it two other times during their careers.

Apart from her tracheostomy, Lexi also had to have a gastrointestinal tube fitted. Hence, she was able to get all the nutrients she needed as she was unable to eat independently. This procedure took place when Lexi was just six months old.

Lexi’s first surgery was a reconstructive surgery that would allow her jaw to begin growing anew and open her airway so she could breathe without the help of a tracheostomy. A year later, Lexi could finally breathe and speak on her own. Her mother, Lisa Skynlynd, shared:

“Her jaw was so pushed in that all the tissue around that was crammed into the back of her throat. Her airway, therefore, was completely occluded.”

By the time Lexi was eight, she needed to have another surgery that would allow her to eat on her own. Doctors admitted that surgery was going to be difficult as they had to rely on new technologies and guidance systems.

While she had a difficult start in life, she lives a relatively typical life and loves to play with her friends and play sports. She also loves Irish dancing and was allowed to have a normal childhood for a year before she had the surgery to enable her to hinge her jaw open.

Lexi’s mother shared that the family would have been flailing without her medical team. Lisa gushed:

“Her team goes above and beyond to not only care for Lexi but also our whole family.”

While Lexi’s jaw was affected by her condition, she has also faced issues with her outward appearance. It is common for people with this condition to have malformed ears, and Lexi’s doctors confirmed that hers looked like question marks. She also has a very small chin.

Lexi’s mother says some children and even adults stare at Lexi, but they have found a way to deal with that. Whenever the family notices someone staring at Lexi, they approach them, saying they can see they are interested and might have some questions about Lexi that they can answer.

Lisa confirmed that the family wanted to show Lexi that it is not necessarily a negative thing when people are staring at her. Lisa also said that she and her husband had to find ways to embrace Lexi’s condition because wishing it wasn’t there was not helpful to Lexi.

Lexi’s jaw reconstruction could take place with the help of a bone graft from her ribs. Lexi was still young, and her ribs were able to grow back on their own. She then had three more surgeries where hardware was placed that would help expand her jaw.

She then had to undergo another surgery where doctors removed the hardware in her mouth. The hardware ran through her lower jaw, under her ear and skull, and through to the other side of her face.

Her doctor confirmed that her nerves, as did her skin and muscles, had to be gradually stretched. This procedure gave the family the results they were aiming for. Lisa shared:

“The amount of growth they got was amazing. Literally, her face changed before our eyes.”

Soon after this surgery, doctors noticed that Lexi’s breathing was far less dependent on the tracheostomy. Hence, they knew it would be safe for them to remove it and allow Lexi to breathe independently.

After Lexi’s reconstructive surgery, she still had a few more surgeries to undergo, and doctors had to plan for how they would keep up with the growth of her bones until she was 16, when a girl’s bones naturally stop growing.

Lisa admitted that her daughter had defied the odds and come out stronger than they ever expected when she was an ill newborn baby. Lisa confirmed children are resilient and can completely surprise their parents with their unique gifts.

Now, Lexi is able to speak, although her mother said it was difficult for her to get to that point, and as parents, they worried about whether or not it would cause societal issues for Lexi later on. Her father, Dave, shared:

“We want what any parent wants for any child. For them to be who they are. To not feel like they’re limited in any way and be happy in who and what they do. Every single day I tell her how amazing and miraculous she is. It’s important for her to hold on to that fact.”

Her mother believes her “beautiful” daughter’s future is bright and that Lexi makes an impact in the world. Lisa said Lexi is able to captivate an entire room as she has a magical presence about her. A genuinely inspirational little girl!

Lexi is not the only person who has overcome medical obstacles against all odds. Read a similar story here.