A toddler born without legs or hands doesn’t let the absence of his limbs get in the way of being the best big brother he can be.
In a video shared by their 22-year-old mother Katie Whiddon, three-year-old Camden calms his crying newborn brother Jaxton by placing the baby’s fallen pacifier in his mouth.
Camden manages to do this all without legs or much of his arms, and the sweet moment has gone viral since his mother posted it on Instagram.
So sweet! Three-year-old Camden is seen giving a pacifier to his brother Jaxton in a viral video
Camden was born with phocomelia syndrome and amelia. Phocomelia is a congenital disorder that involves the malformation of limbs, while amelia is a birth defect in which a baby is born missing one or more limbs.
The little boy, who lives in Camden, Texas and turns four next month, has no legs, and his arms end at around where the elbow would be.
In the viral video, newborn Jaxton is laying down on his back on a bed. Big sister Ryleigh is nearby when Jaxton starts fidgeting and crying out, and it seems he has just lost his pacifier.
That’s when big brother Camden, who is laying on his back nearby, comes to the rescue. The resourceful little boy scoots himself closer and, using his face and shortened right arm, manages to lift up Jaxton’s pacifier.
He scoots even closer, lifting the pacifier into his little brother’s mouth. He pushes it in until Jaxton is quieted and starts sucking on it, content again.
What a good big brother! Their mom, Katie Whiddon, told Daily Mail Online that Camden is always helping out like that
Mom’s little helper After Jaxton spit his pacifier out, Katie announced that she was going to get it, but Camden insisted on doing the job
In five days, the video has been viewed over 46,000 times on Instagram, and by thousands more on Reddit.
Katie told Daily Mail Online that Camden is often helping Jaxton out like that.
‘Camden is always right there to give him his pacifier and wipe the spit up off of his mouth,’ she said. ‘This time Jaxton was crying and I said out loud to him that I was getting his pacifier. Then Camden said, “I got it Mommy!” So I grabbed my phone and ran over there to capture the moment.
‘This is an every day thing for us, but I thought our friends and family would like to see it,’ she added.
The young mother also updates family members and other parents of children born without limbs on her blog.
Katie first found out that she was pregnant at age 18, in 2013. She said she did everything a mom-to-be is ‘supposed to’ — she didn’t drink or do drugs, she ate right, and quite smoking — and was just exited to learn the gender of her baby when she showed up for her 18-week ultrasound.
Camden was born with phocomelia syndrome and amelia, which left him with no legs and arms that stop around the elbow
Go-getter: His mom said he has amazing problem solving skills and ‘tries everything over and over until he gets it’
He also has a younger sister named Ryleigh who is two-and-a-hafl
But it didn’t go as planned.
‘When the doctor told me the news [about Camden’s birth defects], I went immediately numb inside,’ she wrote. ‘I laid there while the ultrasound technician cleaned off my belly. While I was laying there, reality hit me right in the heart. I started balling my eyes out.’
‘My baby doesn’t have any legs, and only upper arms? MY baby?’ she recalled thinking. ‘Things like this don’t happen to me! Things like this don’t happen to my family! Why me? Why MY baby!!! Why PERIOD!!!’
She was still worried about all of things her baby would never be able to do, but soon after he was born he began proving her wrong.
He’s now thriving and continues to impress his mother and father, Cole, 23, with what he can do.
‘I know that most people look at Camden and think, poor child. But when he gets comfortable in his surroundings and starts doing things on his own, everyone always gathers around to watch!’ she wrote.
Katie was heartbroken when she learned, while pregnant, of Camden’s birth defects, afraid of the ways in which is life would be limited
Sibling bonding: However, Camden now does a lot on his own, including bathing and feeding himself. He can also color with markers and sit in the pool
Katie said that people often comment on how fast Camden can move, and are always amazed at what he can do
‘He’s awesome and can do so many things you’d never believe unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes. The comment I get most is, “I never knew how fast he can move!” He might not have legs to get up and run, but that boy can roll and scoot super fast! Don’t underestimate someone just because of the cover they were born in.’
These days, he does about as much as his two-and-a half-year-old sister.
‘He mostly feeds himself, gets around the house by himself, sits on the potty by himself, climbs up stairs, and so many other things we thought that he would never be able to do,’ Katie told Daily Mail Online.
‘Camden is a very independent child and doesn’t like for anyone to help him do things, but if he does seriously need help he will ask for help from me or his daddy.
He’s otherwise is a healthy kid, and only has one annual appointment with a specialist. He saw an occupational therapist when he was younger, but ‘has learned how to do everything mostly on his own’.
He doesn’t like to ask for help with things, though he has ‘an amazing support system’
His parents are working on getting him prosthetic legs, and he can choose to get prosthetic arms when he is older
The family aims to raise awareness for the ‘limb different’, like evangelist and Life Without Limbs founder Nick Vujicic (center)
‘He has amazing problem solving skills. He tries everything over and over until he gets it and if he doesn’t, then it isn’t a big deal to him,’ said his mom.
‘As long as Camden has an amazing support system, which he always will because we have great family and friends, he will be able to do anything he wants!’ she added on her website.
His parents are currently working on getting Camden prosthetic legs and one day, when he is seven to nine years old, he will be able to get prosthetic arms if he chooses to do so.
They are also working to spread awareness ‘for the limb different (that’s the term we use to describe his physical difference) community’.