RARE: Noah

My son Noah has Mosaic Trisomy 16 ..... He is extremely rare. While I was pregnant with him, I was given NO HOPE. None. But I still continued to have hope. I continued to love him and protect him in my womb. I was told he would be born still. If he wasn't, he would take his last breath sometime with in the first 24-48 hours of his life. He was born early, 1lb 12oz. Instead of taking his last breath in that time.... at around 40 hours old, he was breathing on his own - unassisted - and removed from the vent. My child, that I was told would not live, would not be compatible with life, would be so mentally and physically delayed, it wouldn't be "worth it" to continue with the pregnancy (that I flat out refused to listen to that advice).. thrived. That child I was told would not live, is 12 years old. He has developmental delays, medical issues, and hurdles to over come .... but don't tell me he doesn't have a quality of life! He is amazing, everyday he is amazing!

Here is a list I recently compiled with the things that Noah has dealt with and is dealing with that is of current concern....

Medical Issues we have dealt with that may not be a big concern at the moment: severe asymmetrical IUGR, low fluid, small poorly functioning placenta, heart decelerations, bilirubin in amniotic fluid, Low Micro-Preemie Birth Weight, On Vent for 40 hours, Brachycephaly craniosynostosis, enlarged right kidney, ASD & VSD (3 holes in his heart all together), eye pupils shaped like footballs, Hypospadious, Natural Circumcision, Hyperbilirubinemia, he had both Apnea and Bradycardia (Brady’s he had, Apnea he didn’t start until a few weeks before his due date)... Brain scan at one point showed some fluid on his brain that was later declared a "variation of normal", umbilical & double groin hernias, oral sensitivity issues (taste & texture)... sound sensitively issues... speech delays....low muscle tone, tone issues from his hips to his toes, C-DIFF bacterial infection from antibiotics and started to go into Kidney Failure, Broken Nose, Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome ....    He has had surgeries to repair his hypospadious, hernias, and to put in ear tubes, also dental surgery... and he has been put in the hospital/put under for countless tests.

Medical Issues we are currently dealing with: Mosaic Trisomy 16, Glomerulonephritis & Hematuria (both kidney issues), Hearing Loss (in his left ear, he has a hearing aid).  Fine Motor Delay, Mixed Receptive-Expressive Language Disorder, Dyslexia & Dysgraphia.  Tone issues & Supinated feet. (his list is a lot longer, but this is the basics right now), Sensory Processing Disorder, environmental allergies, braces, skin growths/moles that are being "watched," he has ongoing Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapies .... he homeschools due to having a poor immune system and catching everything he's around, missing more school than being there.