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Written in Katelyn's
view,
by Valerie
Hi! My name is Katelyn, but many call me Katie for short. I was born on March 28, 1999 to two wonderful parents. I weighed 8 pounds 8.2 ounces and I was 20 ¾ inches long. I hope to be tall like my parents.
It was quite scary coming into this world, as I had trouble breathing. The umbilical cord was really tight around my neck, that they had to bag me with oxygen. I developed a right pneumothorax from being bagged. The extra oxygen just didn't seem to help me, so I became really scared to what was happening to me. I think the doctors thought something terrible was wrong with my lungs or my heart. That was not the case. They soon found out that I had half of my blood count, from the crimped umbilical cord, and I had to have a blood transfusion. Some wonderful person gave blood and saved my life. I am thankful for that! I had to stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care unit for 10 days, to keep an eye on me, but I sure missed my mommy and daddy. I also had to start wearing casts on my feet, going up my leg, due to clubfeet. I hated that because I couldn't move my feet, but I knew that I'd only have to wear them for a few months and then I can wiggle my toes again. Soon after Easter, I was able to go home and spend my life with my family!
I gave my mom and dad a real scare when I was 3 ½ months. They didn't know what to think when I wouldn't track anything and my pupils wouldn't consistently constrict to light. I thought this was all normal, as I still do; this is all I have ever known! I was soon diagnosed as having Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (ONH) and they also found out that I was borderline hypothyroid. I was told that I may have some vision from my left eye but were unsure about my right eye. I will never tell right now what I can or cannot see; maybe I'll surprise them some day. I take medicine for being hypothyroid, every morning, but it doesn't bother me. I think Mom thinks she is tricking me, when she tells me to drink my morning milk; I know my medicine is in there. But I won't tell her I know; I know it's helping me!
Doctors were worried I might have something wrong with my brain, because of my eye deficit and my large head size, but supposedly MRI's showed that everything looked pretty good.
I'm almost 2 years old now, at the end of March and I am a very happy young lady. I am walking around everywhere and I think that makes mommy nervous. I wear plastic braces on my feet, due to my weak feet muscles from being casted at birth. I'm use to them and they really help me get around. My favorite thing to do is sing, as I know lots of different songs by heart. I also like to mimic everything my parents say. They know I have "radar ears" and hear everything that is going on around me! Even though I feel great, we still need to keep an eye on how I progress. The doctors are a little worried about my height, even though a bone age x-ray showed things to be fine. We'll see what happens, but hopefully I will be okay.
I am thankful to have the parents that I do today. I hear that God assigns special mommies and daddies for special kids like us. Maybe that's why my parents love me so much; God knew we were right for each other. I also know there are other wonderful parents out there that have wonderful children like me! We are all so very lucky! My mommy tries hard to get the help I need, through therapy or other services. But I have to say, my mommy doesn't have to try to get people to like me; maybe it's my smile that draws people closer to me. I like all my adult and kid friends. I also like all of my family; my grandma and grandpa are really good to me. I usually see them every day, sometimes twice a day! (tee-hee) One thing, though, that I will never forget and reminds me never to be ashamed of my eye deficit, is something my mommy has always said:
"I may be legally blind, but I can see! I see through God's eye's!"
Amen to that!
Katie at "Snack time"
in February 2001 when she was 22 months!
