A boy born with just two percent of his brain which led doctors to believe he would live in a vegetative state has made a remarkable recovery to celebrate his ninth birthday.

Brave Noah Wall developed a rare brain condition in the womb and his parents Michelle, 49, and Rob, 55, were told by doctors he would likely never talk, walk, or eat on his own.

But the resilient lad has seen his brain grow from two percent up to 80 percent and now dreams of one day becoming an astronaut - and has even been surfing and skiing.

Mum Michelle said some doctors believed Noah had no brain at all while others thought his brain had been squashed into a small space and grew back after a shunt was fitted.

Noah was diagnosed with spina bifida, which is when a baby's spine does not connect, early in the pregnancy and he would be paralysed from the chest down.

Noah Wall developed a rare brain condition in the womb

Early scans also revealed he would likely be missing a quarter of his brain at birth due to a porencephalic cyst in his head which was destroying his brain.

Tragically, a ‘do not resuscitate order’ was placed on Noah and his parents were asked five times if they wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

The distraught parents had gone through the heart-breaking process of choosing a coffin and were already arranging his funeral for their unborn baby.

But the miracle tot was born on March 6, 2012 weighing 9lb 7oz, and mum Michelle said she cried when he took his first breath on his own - which meant he had a chance of surviving.

Shortly after he was born, an MRI scan revealed he was actually born with just two percent of his physical brain.

But he celebrated his ninth birthday earlier this month (March 6) and, despite being wheelchair bound, he told mum Michelle he hopes to be able to play football one day.

Noah, from Carlisle, Cumbria, said: “I love having people around on my birthday, this birthday was different but it was still special.

Noah Wall when he was born

“When I went to Newcastle stadium I was on the grass and I was amazed, one day I am going to run and score a goal.”

Michelle said Noah’s birthday celebrations are emotional each year as it reminds her of how far they’ve come and how ‘extraordinary’ Noah’s progress has been.

Recalling the pregnancy, she said it was incredibly difficult as they didn’t know if he would survive until the moment he was born.

Mum-of-three Michelle said: “As a parent you don’t want to believe what they’re saying, but it’s reality. But you’ve got to go home and tell your family that we might have to bury him.

“We always tried to be positive, always, even if we were given such a horrendous situation.”

Noah also had a rare condition called hydrocephalus, which is a life-threatening condition which leads to an accumulation of fluid within the brain.

As the pregnancy progressed, Noah began to develop more complications and doctors believed he may develop Edwards' syndrome and Patau's syndrome.

A baby with Edwards' syndrome has three copies of chromosome number 18 instead of two, and sadly just 13 in 100 babies born alive with Edwards’ syndrome live past one.

Brave Noah is wheelchair-bound but hopes to play football one day

Patau’s syndrome is a serious rare genetic disorder caused by having an additional copy of chromosome 13, and only one in 10 children with the disorder survive past a year.

But thankfully, against all odds Noah was born healthy and was able to breathe on his own.

She added: “Noah took one life affirming scream when he was born and tears just rolled down my cheeks. It was incredible. It was emotional.”

After seven weeks, he had a shunt put into his head and a soft tube to drain the liquid down his neck and into his abdomen and will likely require tests and surgeries throughout his life.

Michelle, who works as a full-time carer, said: “Doctors told us that he would be in a vegetative state, he wouldn’t be able to communicate.

“They told us he might not be able to speak, hear, eat, or anything.

“But he can tell the time, he reads, he does maths, he loves science. He can talk about the solar system. He has incredible dreams and even more incredible knowledge.”

He has been homeschooled from a young age

Noah, who has been home schooled since he was a tot, has ‘lived a full life’ and has even outlined his dreams of falling in love and having his own children.

Michelle said he’s ‘full of personality’ and she cannot wait to see what kind of man he becomes - and he has even started using aftershave in preparation for puberty.

Although Noah has already had 11 surgeries and faces a lifetime of operations, the family says they are still determined and hopeful to fulfil his dreams.

She said: “It’s been an absolute joy to see him grow up and see him become the unique boy that he is.

“It’s astonishing to me how smart he is. We’ve spent a lot of time with him and every single day he does something that impresses me.

“I’m so extremely proud of him. He’s my son. His goal in life is to run, it’s what he wants to do. I will help him all I can and always be there for him.”

Noah is a proud patron of Variety, who work with disabled, sick and disadvantaged children, as well as The Music Man Project, who put disabled children on the UK’s biggest stages.

You can find him on Instagram here: