Throughout the nine months of pregnancy, a mother’s heart is full of expectation, excitement, and a hint of uncertainty. Every expecting parent dreams of having a happy, healthy baby. Sadly, things in life don’t always go as planned.
Highland, New York resident Jennie Wilklow was excited to see her daughter. As Jennie and her husband gave their new baby a hug, they were ecstatic.
Numerous ultrasounds and medical examinations had shown a healthy baby.
These words of comfort eased their anxieties, and they were unaware that their beloved Anna would be born with a lifelong impairment.
At 34 weeks, Jennie underwent a C-section to deliver Anna. When the paramedics placed the baby in her arms, she felt an incredible amount of love as she stared into Anna’s eyes.
With their adorable child, everything seemed to be going well. But Jennie’s husband’s reserved and nervous manner sent shivers down her spine when he paid her a visit.
“I was afraid of my husband’s silence,” Jennie said to Cafe Mom. He sat there in shock as I urged him for more details as the doctor exited the room.” It’s awful, he uttered with a heavy heart.
“I looked into her eyes, and she has the most beautiful soul,” her husband remarked of Jennie. At the moment, Jennie was unable to comprehend the meaning of those words. Her mind raced, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Anna had a rare condition called harlequin ichthyosis, which is characterized by the emergence of thick, diamond-shaped plates that are broken up by wide fissures. “Her delicate skin hardened within seconds of birth as they desperately tried to help her,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
She suffered terrible splitting after the hardening, which left her with huge wounds all over her body.”The doctors were worried about Anna’s chances of survival, but she triumphed against them. Jennie exclaimed with pride, “She embodied pure beauty.”
Sadly, there’s no known cure for harlequin ichthyosis. Regular effort is required for the treatment, which includes lots of showers and deep skin moisturization. “Every few hours, I would give her a bath and slather her with Vaseline.
It may seem insignificant, but one of the things I battled with the most was picturing all the cute clothes my baby will wear, Jennie said.
To spread awareness of this illness, she created the “harlequin diva” Instagram page and posted pictures of Anna there. She illuminates the difficulties faced on a daily basis and offers an insight into the realities of parenting a child with harlequin ichthyosis through her blogs.
“Anna embodies perfection in its purest form, which is why she won the hearts of many.” Her performance of these routine tasks comes naturally to her. “Everyone joins us in celebrating every new achievement,” Jennie said to Cafe Mom.
“I now understand that Anna was given to me because of my love for my daughter,” she continued. Together, we shall reinvent what the world considers to be true beauty because we were meant to be together.
Anna is lucky to have parents who go above and beyond to make sure she has a happy life; she is lovely just the way she is.
Together, we can raise awareness of Anna’s story by encouraging our loved ones to read this article on Facebook. By working together, we can bring attention to and appreciate the extraordinary beauty and strength that each and every person possesses, despite their differences.
