Born on November 11, 2017, in the Greater Houston area, Aries Reign Williams entered the world as a 23-week micropreemie weighing just 1 pound, 11 ounces. He spent nearly 150 days fighting for his life in the Level IV NICU at Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center, where he was initially given a 20% chance of survival. Within his first month of life, Aries faced multiple life-threatening diagnoses, including severe intraventricular hemorrhages, hydrocephalus, and a congenital heart defect—conditions that required extensive surgical intervention and extraordinary medical care. Upon graduating from the NICU in 2018, he was also identified as developmentally delayed, a label that would never define the limits of his future.

In the years that followed, Aries was diagnosed with cerebral palsy affecting both legs and his left arm, visual impairments including nystagmus and strabismus, epilepsy, autism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. He is an eight-time brain surgery patient whose life has been shaped by persistence, discipline, and continuous therapy. Rather than diminishing his path, these experiences have expanded it—positioning Aries at the intersection of medical innovation, advocacy, and opportunity.

Aries has made history as the first infant in the world to successfully undergo an awake brain scan, contributing to groundbreaking neurological research later cited by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. His journey has been featured by UT Physicians, the Houston Chronicle, ABC’s Localish, and KPRC-2, and his name now travels beyond Earth as one of 10.9 million aboard the NASA Perseverance Mars Rover. He has inspired systemic progress as the catalyst for the Houston Fire Department’s Autism Spectrum Disorder training program for firefighters and paramedics, demonstrating how one life can open doors for many.

Today, Aries Reign Williams is recognized as one of the most influential preemies in the Greater Houston area—a disability rights advocate whose story advances access, expands opportunity, and challenges institutions to design futures where every child is seen, supported, and expected to thrive. His journey is not one of limitation, but of momentum—and he is only just beginning.

Selected Honors & Milestones

• Graduate, Level IV NICU, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital (Class of 2018)

• First infant globally to complete an awake brain scan (CTOT research study participant)

• Referenced in IEEE publication: Cap-Based Transcranial Optical Tomography in an Awake Infant

• Featured patient, UT Physicians press release on neonatal imaging innovation

• Featured profile, Houston Chronicle (May 28, 2020)

• Hope For Three Autism All-Star (April 2024)

• Honoree: The Aries Reign Williams Adapted Toy Library at James Patterson Elementary School

• Artist Advocate for FairPlay Libraries (since 2020), raising over $5,000 in support

• Inspiration for Houston Fire Department Autism Spectrum Disorder Training Program

• Participant, Texas Health and Human Services Commission DBMD Waiver Program

• One of 10.9 million names aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover