Mom Was 'Terrified' Baby Born with Rare Condition Would Constantly Be Judged. What Happened Instead Surprised Her (Exclusive)

Maddicyn Brokenshire's son Ollyver was born in 2025 with a rare syndrome that caused deformities and loss of function

NEED TO KNOW

• A woman feared her son would be constantly judged for his appearance after he was born with a rare syndrome that caused deformities and loss of function
• Online, Maddicyn Brokenshire tells PEOPLE that son Ollyver is met with a lot of criticism for how he looks
• But in real life, the mother of one says she is surprised by the reaction he has received

A woman's baby boy was born with a rare condition that left a large portion of his face scarred. The mom initially feared the worst about how the child would be perceived in public, but the actual reaction she has received so far has left her surprised.

Maddicyn Brokenshire's son Ollyver was born in 2025 with amniotic band syndrome (ABS), a condition where fibrous amniotic bands wrap a fetus in the womb, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The syndrome caused deformities and loss of function for the child, and it affected the development of his eyes, leaving him blind in one.

Online, Maddicyn, 28, tells PEOPLE she sees a lot of cruel comments aimed at her son, including that "he has no quality of life" and that she "is torturing him and giving him a lifetime of bullying." Some others even suggest, Maddicyn says, that "I should murder my son."

Because of this, the mother of one was fearful for how her child would be seen in the public eye. "I’m not going to lie, it really affected me. Those words sit with you. They replay in your head. And when you’re already in survival mode, it can break you," she explains.

"At the beginning, I was terrified to take him out in public. I thought people would stare, judge or say something horrible. I avoided mom groups because I didn’t feel like we fit in," Maddicyn continues, adding, however: "But that wasn’t reality."

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According to Maddicyn, who welcomed her baby with husband Daniel Brokenshire, "People were kind. Curious. Supportive. Other moms welcomed us in ways I didn’t expect. They helped with clothes after surgeries, checked in on me and made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this."

"He is the most bubbly, happiest baby," she adds of her son, who is now 8 months old. "He lights up every single room he goes into. People don’t see what others say online—they see him."

One particular spot that helped Maddicyn was the beauty salon Pamper Perfection. "The girls there, especially Tanz, created a safe space for me: a place where I could talk about Ollie, cry if I needed to and not feel judged," she says. "They didn’t shy away from his story, they encouraged it. They helped me find the confidence to start talking about him openly, not hiding him away."

Adds Maddicyn, "They would talk about Ollie with other clients, help share his journey and show people who he really is, not what assumptions might say."

The positivity and support she received there, Maddicyn tells PEOPLE, "helped slowly shift me from feeling isolated at home, to being able to step back out into the world with him."

"They helped me rebuild my confidence as a mom. They helped me realize I didn’t need to hide my baby," she further explains. "They played a huge part in helping me become the mom I am now, someone who can advocate, speak up and be proud of her child."

"And that confidence has carried into everything — appointments, surgeries and social situations, even how I handle negativity," Maddicyn adds. "Because the truth is, people online can say horrible things, but they would never say it to your face. And I’ve learned to meet that hate differently now. Sometimes with humor, sometimes by calling it out, but always by standing strong for my son."

"At the end of the day, Ollie will learn from us. If we raise him with strength, kindness and confidence, that’s what he will carry into the world. And that matters more than anything someone types behind a screen," she continues.

Before Maddicyn got pregnant with her son, she suffered through two miscarriages. "They were pretty traumatic, and one involved surgery. So going into another pregnancy, there was already fear sitting there," she recalls.

After numerous bumps along the way while pregnant, including developing a subchorionic haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, doctors recommended Maddicyn terminate her pregnancy. She tells PEOPLE, "I was absolutely broken. I didn’t eat for days. I just kept saying doctors can get it wrong."

But when she joined a support group for families with children facing similar conditions, Maddicyn opted to continue to carry her baby. "Every day, every week, we were holding our breath, not knowing if he would survive," Maddicyn says. "I decided that if he passed inside me, all he would have known was love. And if he was born very unwell, we would choose comfort care to keep him peaceful."

After her pre-eclampsia diagnosis, Maddicyn was admitted to a hospital, where she was told she would have to deliver her baby within 72 hours. Ollyver was then born not long after. "He needed 11 minutes of resuscitation. The surgeon later said if he had stayed in another day, he wouldn’t be here," Maddicyn recalls.

Now, Ollyver has already had multiple surgeries: one for a band removal from his eye in NICU, a forehead flap skin removal and z-plasty on his face. He also has an upcoming surgery planned for the back of his head.

"As he grows, he will need ongoing surgeries, including fat grafting and further eye procedures," Maddicyn tells PEOPLE.

"At one stage, we thought he was completely blind due to the band constricting his eye, as his eyes made unusual movements early on," she continues. "[But] after surgery to release a band on his eye, he started to track and fix on things."

"His stronger eye appears to have normal vision: he can follow bubbles and engage. His other eye is completely blind and will likely require a prosthetic in the future," adds Maddicyn —who is on hold from her job as a registered nurse and volunteer ambulance officer to care for her young son. "The band has thickened over time and is no longer transparent. It looks like it’s cutting across the eyeball and causing him discomfort. He has surgery scheduled next month for this."

Overall, Maddicyn says Ollyver is currently "doing really well." She adds that he is "such a happy, social baby" who "is so loved by family and friends, and by so many people who follow his journey."

Explaining that she and Daniel, 29, share their son's story "so someone out there who feels completely alone can know they’re not," Maddicyn admits, "This journey isn’t easy."

"Don’t isolate yourself, find your people. It’s hard watching others have 'normal' pregnancies while you’re in survival mode, with constant appointments and hospitals becoming your second home," she continues.

"You will feel like you lose yourself at times, and that’s real. But you slowly find your way back," adds the mom. "Join support groups. Talk to people who understand. Celebrate every milestone, no matter how small, and allow yourself to feel everything—grief, love, exhaustion, pride. It can all exist at once."

Maddicyn — who has created a Give a Little fundraising page for her family — tells PEOPLE: "Trust your instincts. You know your baby best."

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