17 months of education
Look Below
So Emma just turned seventeen months old it crazy to think almost two years have passed since having her. Gosh there's so much to say, a lot has changed for us for the better. This may be long but this is very important I get information out there as much as possible.
Emma currently weighs 20lbs, and she's 29 inches tall. She's super smart and silly and probably in my opinion the most amazing girl. However while pregnant with Emma I contracted the cytomegalovirus, CMV for short. CMV when contracted in children and adults rarely causes problems beyond cold like symptoms, however once you have it you always have it. However in women who contract it or have a re-outbreak while pregnant it can be devastating. CMV affects 1 in every 150 babies born, however not talked about by anyone, it is the number one leading cause of birth defects in the country. Yes it affects more babies than down syndromes, genetic disorders, even fetal alcohol syndrome. It is the leading cause of cerebral palsy in the country. So out of all those babies born yearly 1 in every 750 babies born with CMV, will have life long severe disabilities. CMV causes deafness, blindness, low motor skills, low muscle tone, paralysis and a dozen other problems. It is on the Cdcs top list of viruses they are trying to get the government to find for cures or vaccines.
No one ever talks about CMV, in fact while pregnant with Emma I was one of the few who hen they contracted it became hospitalized. Here's where it sucks. A simple blood test was all I needed to check for it,yet I was in the hospital for three days, endured mris, eegs, kegs, I was scanned for every little thing. Heck they checked for aids before being checked for it.
What does this mean for Emma? When she was born she was born blind, thankfully it has corrected itself. She's endured low muscle tone, so she's in physical therapy. She has seizures due to the swelling in her brain. And now because of that swelling her brain does not function well that her legs don't work right so on Wednesday she will be getting her afo leg braces. Emma also sees a speech therapist to help her talk better.
Despite all of this, the hospitalizations and the doctor visits the medications she's a ball of miracles. She keep over coming everything CMV throws at he
You can follow Emma's journey on Facebook At Super Emma vs CMV. You can help spread the word as well as our cause and Help for Emma
http://www.gofundme.com/68re8g