I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.— Psalm 139:14Maddox Duran is a precious child, a sweet prince beset by horrendous medical complications.The Cranberry Township infant was born with spina bifida, a lesion that exposed his spinal nerves until surgery closed it just a few hours after he was born. Maddox is 5 months old now. He’s had six surgeries so far.“Because now it’s been diagnosis after diagnosis,” says his mother, Samantha Duran. “We’re still learning new things about him.”The complications include Chiari II malformation, an elongation of the brain stem; hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid in the brain requiring a shunt to drain it; dysgenesis of the corpus callosum, an incomplete connection between the left and right hemispheres of his brain; and colpocephaly, another congenital brain abnormality. To name a few.Given the challenges, it seems easy to dwell on the abnormalities and imperfections. Maddox’s family will have none of that.Samantha, her husband Andrew, daughters Paisley, 5, and Juliette, 3, and Maddox — this week were named the Cranberry Community Uniting People’s 2018 Inspirational Family. The nonprofit each year selects a local family to support financially — a family in need, and with a story that inspires us to help.Cranberry CUP raises funds through several events including the signature Cranberry CUP weekend in August. The fundraising is important — it helps multiple families in need, not just the Durans. But it’s just as important for the community to rally around families like the Durans and spread awareness of Maddox’s diagnoses, says Robin Shaffer, vice president of Cranberry CUP.Throughout history, the greatest societies have been marked by the way they care for their most vulnerable members — the very old, the very young, the infirm and those with special needs.What kind of society are we?We’re the kind of society that makes huge strides. Over the past 40 years, medical and surgical breakthroughs have enabled many children who were born with spina bifida to lead active and productive lives. According to the Spina Bifida Association, about 90 percent of infants affected with the defect live well into adulthood, about 80 percent have normal intelligence; the majority of these children do well in school, and many are involved in modified sports activities. Twenty-year follow-up studies of children with spina bifida indicate that they go to college at the same rates as the general population, and most are actively employed.As advancements in medical care for these children continue to expand, the outlook continues to get better, according to the research cited by advocates.And as the science advances, so too must our compassion advance. Let the community embrace the Duran family as they embrace their tiny son and brother.Let the community support the Durans’ decision to nurture their child to become the most he can be — and to inspire parents everywhere to nurture children with far fewer obstacles to do the same.