but nathaniel newman's devastated parents don't even have that. not flinch each time you saw nathaniel? >> it took me a year. >> a year? >> a year. a year. i almost cried every day. >> every single time i looked at him, i could not believe it's my child. i couldn't believe it. >> reporter: nathaniel has a genetic condition called treacher collins syndrome, unlike a typical infant's face he was born without cheekbones, eye sockets or ears but most harrowing of all are his breathing complications. his nasal passageway is nearly solid bone and his airway is so narrow it's like trying to breath through a soda straw. but as different as nathaniel looks on the outside, that is where the differences end. >> did you tell them, "it's -- his brain is unaffected --" >> that's really important. >> it's really important. >> because when you look at children with craniofacial conditions, you think cognitively, they are not going to be developmentally normal -- >> other than his appearance and how his life functions, breathing, eating, et cetera, he is no differ