Finding Strength in a Hard Week
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The Stallard Family
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The Stallard Family
It’s been a long and busy week for our family. A few days ago, Abigail wasn’t feeling well, then she needed stitches, and yesterday we had an appointment with genetics at the University of Virginia. At that visit, we found out some big news—Abigail does not have 22q duplication as we were originally told in the NICU. Instead, she has partial tetrasomy 22, also known as cat eye syndrome.
The doctor explained that when she was in the NICU, her report must have been read incorrectly. Partial tetrasomy 22 is rarer and more severe than 22q duplication. It means there’s an extra, structurally abnormal piece of chromosome 22 present, giving her four copies of that specific region. Abigail shows pretty much all of the symptoms of it, but the doctor reassured us that she is doing really well for being so medically complex—which was encouraging to hear.
As if that wasn’t enough, right before we left for church yesterday, part of Abigail’s feeding extension snapped off and got stuck in the G part of her GJ. Devin and I tried to get it out, but we couldn’t. After calling GI, UVA told me to pull out the GJ and replace it with just a G tube.
Today was Devin’s birthday, and thankfully he had a good day in the middle of everything going on. Tomorrow I’ll be taking Abigail to the pediatrician so she can get her stitches out.
To be honest, this week has left me feeling beat down. It’s been one medical issue after another, but through it all, I keep reminding myself that God has carried us this far, and He will continue to give us the strength we need for each new day.
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Hannah Dove