DENVER -- Seeing him today, it's hard to imagine that doctors thought that a 10-year-old boy wouldn't survive. Hunter's an ace in school and at chess. He's even teaching his aunt how to play. But doctors weren't initially so optimistic about his life.

He had a condition called Dandy Walker Syndrome. Like many parents of babies with this condition, she had been given the advice to terminate the pregnancy.

"It's every mothers worst nightmare to hear a doc say, 'Your baby has problems and may not make it, and may not be a viable human,'" said Hunter's mother, Krista Fisher. "Immediately the reaction was, 'You can terminate the pregnancy.' And I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. I knew it wasn't an option for me."

Two months after that diagnosis, Hunter was born.

"It was extremely scary. I was screaming, 'Don't let my baby die,'" said Fisher.

Then, doctors knew little about Hunter's condition.

"Nobody could give me an idea of what his future would be like," Fisher said.

Dandy Walker Syndrome is a rare brain malformation involving the part of the brain that affects movement and balance.

"It has to do specifically with a certain part of the brain called the cerebellum and how the cerebellum is formed," said Dr. Julie Parsons, a pediatric neurologist at The Children's Hospital.

When the cerebellum is not fully developed, a variety of developmental delays are possible. In Hunter's case, he's deaf in one ear and has symptoms similar to autism. His mom also said, "He has many problems with gaining weight and keeping weight on."

But Dandy Walker Syndrome does not get in Hunter's way. As a typical fourth-grader, he also loves soccer and being on TV. When asked if he feels different than other kids because of Dandy Walker Syndrome, he said with a big smile, "No, it doesn't make me feel much different."

Research has shown that each child with Dandy Walker Syndrome is different. Beyond that, not much is known.

"As the symptoms come up we would treat them, but there isn't anything to change the malformation itself," said Parsons.

Darla Rae is Hunter's aunt and a local film maker. She set out to document his story, because she said, that's what aunts with cameras do.

"So, I posted a very simple statement saying, 'I'm an independent filmmaker. I'm making a documentary about Dandy Walker Syndrome. Can anybody enlighten me or tell me anything?'" Rae said.

The response was incredible.

"I got 100 e-mails the first day. Three days later, over 1,000 e-mails and they continue to come in every day," Rae said.

E-mails were arriving from all over the world with similar stories of parents searching for any information, for any hope.

"One father had written from Portugal and it said, 'Please, for you to help my child," said Rae.

Even researchers responded.

"They said, 'We need help! We need people to do research on this.' They are trying to plug holes in the dam, basically," said Rae.

Jan. 17 was a big night for Hunter and his family. He was a movie star in the screening of Rae's documentary "Dandy Kids."

Hunter enjoyed the spotlight.

"I feel good that people ask me questions and I like to answer them," he said.

Hunter was joined by families from around the country who were part of the documentary. More than 200 people turned out to watch it. Seating was scarce at the Starz Film Center.

After the hourlong film ran, there were few dry eyes in the theater. Applause filled the theater as Hunter stood up and took a bow. His story had made quite an impact. A variety of emotional stories had been shared of personal struggles and victories.

Every story was shared to pass on hope to future families facing the same diagnosis.

Eric Cole is a father of a 2-year-old with Dandy Walker Syndrome. He has started the Dandy Walker Alliance and is part of the documentary.

"Future families who get this diagnosis will find this and this can be a tool to help them understand they don't have to go this road alone," Cole said after he saw the film. "It far exceeded my expectations. It's so encouraging to unite through this forum."

"Dandy Kids" will be released later this year. Right now there are only two researchers in the United States who are dedicated to studying the condition. Two state representatives have co-sponsored a bill that would direct money from the National Institutes of Health for research of Dandy Walker Syndrome. The bill is House Resolution 163.

Additional Resources:

DandyKidsDocumentary.com
Dandy Walker Organization