Toddler Who Was Told He'd Never Walk or Show Emotion "Now Laughs Every Day!"

Taryn and Vincent DiCandilo of Perth, Australia, were thrilled when their little boy, Owen James, was born on Dec. 21, 2013. "He was born like a healthy baby," Taryn told the Daily Mail. "There weren't any complications during the pregnancy and we took him home with everything looking absolutely fine."

At 3 weeks, Owen became irritable, but the young family thought that it was normal newborn behavior. But they also noticed that he wasn't meeting several milestones — like reaching out for objects. When the fussiness and vision issues continued at the 2-month mark, they pushed doctors to take their concerns more seriously. What they learned wasn't too comforting. Little Owen was diagnosed with double cortex syndrome and a rare genetic brain malformation disorder called Lissencephaly, which translates to "smooth egg" — where most people have ripples and folds in their brains, Owen's is completely smooth. The family was told he may never walk, talk, see, hold up his own head, or show emotion, and he probably wouldn't live past 10 years old.

"If you read up on the condition, you'd be hard pressed to find anything that offers much hope," Taryn said. Complications from the disorder include impaired vision, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, epileptic seizures, and developmental delays.

Fast-forward a year and a half, though, and Owen is beating the odds. The boy who was told he'd never show emotion is now smiling and laughing! "We never knew whether our son would laugh, but now laughs every day," Taryn tells us. He's also learning to stand and sitting on his own for 10 seconds at a time after some heavy-duty therapy. He currently attends weekly physiotherapy as well as speech therapy, hydrotherapy, occupational therapy, and conductive education.

"Owen, or our young warrior, is a fighter who is full of smiles and laughter and with the support he has from all his family, friends and the wider community," Taryn said. "We believe there is hope."

Much of that new hope is centered on some intensive rehab centers located in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, or Los Angeles. The couple is hoping to get into one of the sessions in Australia, but if that doesn't work, they'll make the trek to LA because there are more openings available there. Sessions at these centers can cost up to $10,500 for a three-week program, so the family has set up a fundraising page to help them pay for it.

Watch to see how much progress Owen has made. We're pretty sure it will make your day!