In her 34th week of pregnancy, Jennie Wilklow was forced to have a caesarean by her doctor. Despite the operation was successful, Jennie’s daughter was born with a condition.
“When they took her out I heard her scream and they said: She is so beautiful. These are the words every mother wants to hear, so I smiled and relaxed,” Jennie shared.
Then the doctors and nurses panicked as they saw the face of her baby.
“They did everything to help her, but her skin became rock hard in seconds. After the skin solidified, it began to crack. It caused open wounds throughout her body. Behind the hills I saw their panicked faces and I asked if everything was OK.”
As the doctors reassured Jennie, they gave her medicine and she fell asleep. When she was awoken, her doctor revealed that her daughter was born with a condition, Harlequin ichthyosis.
“My husband’s silence scared me; he was only shocked when the doctor left. He just kept saying, ‘This is bad.’” Jennie said.
The condition was a gene defect which makes skin grow 14 times faster than normal. For that reason, skin becomes red, and it affects eyes, mouth, nose and ears.
“I spent the next two days looking for information about her condition. I realized the poor quality of life that awaited her. I allowed myself to admit this thought, since it was only at that moment, at the most confused and lonely period of my life. There and then I thought it might be better if she died,” the mother shared.
But Anna was strong, and she grew safely within her loving family. “Every two hours I covered her with petroleum jelly and bathed her for several hours of the day. For many years I had dreamed of what my beloved daughter would wear, and even though it seemed so trivial, it was what I fought most for.” Jennie said.
Anna changed Jennie’s perspective after their experience as a family. “I began to realize that if I put restrictions on what she could achieve, she will stay in development. That’s why I decided to put the bar high. I decided that the goal was that she could do what she wanted and the goals were the same for myself.“
“I now understand that I got her because of the love I already carry in my heart for my daughter. Anna was meant for me, and I for her, and together we will show the world how beautiful it can be.”
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