Potter's syndrome survivor celebrates incredible milestone

The daughter of a congresswoman wasn't even expected to survive birth, and now she's made it past her first birthday -- despite living with a typically fatal condition known as Potter's syndrome.

It's all thanks to an experimental treatment. Mom, dad and baby girl sat down with Fox News Monday:

"They told us that with 100 percent certainty, she would not survive," Abigails mother said.

"One of her doctors said she's a very healthy baby who just happens to not have kidneys," the father added.

The National Institutes of Health explains Potter's syndrome is a rare condition that involves a baby's kidneys failing while in the womb. When the kidneys fail, vital amniotic fluids are no longer able to help with lung development.

Abigail Beutler's mom, Washington state Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler, made headlines last summer when she beat the odds and gave birth to her baby girl. Outlets, including NBC, said Abigail was the first baby to survive the condition.

"She is like any other baby. She has a few challenges, but, man, she's determined," the mother said.

So how did Abigail survive? KPTV reports a doctor tried an experimental treatment and injected saline solution into the baby's lungs for five weeks before she was born to try to develop her lungs.

Herrera Beutler says that her daughter's lungs grew as the treatment went on, leading to her successful birth.

House Speaker John Boehner introduced both little Abigail and the doctor credited with saving her life on the house floor last week -- just days after Abigail celebrated her first birthday, reports C-SPAN.

Abigail is on dialysis every night because she doesn't have kidneys. Her dad says that she'll likely have a kidney transplant when she's older.

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