After an emergency Caesarean, the Alexandra couple welcomed baby Riley on February 1 at Dunedin Hospital.
He was having trouble breathing and was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Ten hours after he was born, he started to have seizures.
That was the start of an episode in the Browns' lives which can only end in heartbreak.
Six weeks and masses of medical tests later, their son was finally diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome.
The genetic condition is so rare, it affects only one in every 50,000 or 100,00 babies.
There is no treatment or cure and babies with the condition rarely survive the first year.
''There's four different parts of the Zellweger spectrum and it depends on the severity, how long you get with them. We're told by the paediatrician Riley has the most serious, so it could be any day ... , '' Mrs Brown said this week.
''It doesn't seem real ... we get this perfect wee baby, and then he gets taken away from us.''
The family has been back at home in Alexandra for about a month and the Browns are making most of their precious time with their son and focusing on the positives of their situation. Support from family, friends and even strangers has been ''overwhelming'', Mr Brown said.
''We're so grateful to everyone for all their kindness. I never imagined we'd have to go through something like this but seeing all the people who cared so much - the support we've had is amazing. We've had people come and mow our lawns, deliver firewood and meals to us and people have donated money to the `givealittle' page,'' he said.
Ashlee Sutherland, of Becks, is spearheading the fundraising campaign and set up the page (https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/supportashbrownie2015), so the couple do not have to worry about work and can spend as much time as possible with Riley.
Ms Sutherland is a friend of the couple, and her young son also has seizures.
Fundraising events and donations have boosted the total to more than $5300 and more events are planned in the coming weeks, including a lamb drive.
''People wanted to help Ash and Brownie somehow and this was one way they could.''
Tomorrow, Ms Sutherland and a team of workers will be at the Becks Hall, filling orders for 14,000 cheese rolls, which should add $7000 to $8000 to the total.
The only medication Riley takes is for his seizures, which can happen as often as every 20 minutes.
He sometimes stops breathing during a seizure and the only time the couple ever see their son cry, is in the middle of a seizure.
He cannot swallow, so is fed milk through a nasal tube, but apart from the tubing, he looks like any other bonny baby.
Mrs Brown glosses over the difficulties of their situation, the stress, worry and lack of sleep after taking turns during the night to watch over their son.
Instead, the couple are focusing on ''making memories'' by spending time doing things with Riley, she says.
''That saying: live every day as if it's your last; I've always thought that was something we should do, and now we realise how short life can be, so we're doing that with Riley. We don't make such a big drama about things that don't really matter.''
''We're lucky to experience parenthood and we're lucky to have so much support.''
The couple are planning a naming day for their son over Anzac weekend as a celebration of his life and that occasion will be another memory to treasure, they say.
They both carry the recessive gene for the condition and have a one in four chance of any future child having Zellweger Syndrome.
During her pregnancy, Mrs Brown was admitted to hospital several times with severe morning sickness and was closely monitored.
''Riley's condition is not because of anything that's happened during pregnancy or anything to do with the labour, he was born with it and he's the only one we know of in the country at the moment.
''It's been devastating but we're so thankful for all the support we've received from everyone. Riley's taught us so much and we're just grateful for every day we have with him.''
Zellweger Syndrome
• A disorder resulting from a defect in the assembly of a cell structure called the peroxisome.
• The peroxisome is one of four compartments within all human cells.
• It helps the cell to break down certain fats, produce hormones and to help the nervous system work properly.
• The peroxisome has to be correctly assembled to do its job.
• Vision, hearing, liver, kidney, cartilage, heart and muscles can all be affected.
• Babies with the syndrome rarely survive the first year.
(Source: United Leukodystrophy Foundation)
