Personal Stories of Hope Volume 1 | Page 9

chloe This is Chloe Elizabeth, our miracle baby that doctors told us we would never be able to conceive. Born on March 4th 2009, it was the happiest day of our lives. She entered the world with what we thought was bruising starting from her right eyelid, all the way in to her scalp. My husband and I realized after about a week that Chloe wasn’t bruised, she had a big, red birthmark or a port wine stain. No biggie, at least she was healthy! Her seizures started when she was 3 months old and after 3 agonizing days and numerous tests at Loma Linda Children’s Hospital, Chloe was diagnosed with SturgeWeber syndrome. Having never heard of this, our family had lots of learning and research to do. Her seizures have continued to date but are being controlled with two different medications. It has been trial and error to find the best combination and dosage “The obstacles we’ve faced so far have made us the strong, patient, loving people we are today. Chloe is our miracle!” but it’s a learning process as Chloe grows. Now two and a half years later we are still learning and dealing with SWS. She has an ophthalmologist who routinely checks for glaucoma and so far so good with no signs of it. We just live every day and try to give Chloe as much of a normal life as possible. Actually, she does have a ‘normal’ life, just a bit different than most kids. Despite everything Chloe has been through in her short life, she is the friendliest little girl around. She absolutely adores her eleven year old step-brother, Ryan, and loves jumping on his bed with him and messing up his video games. She is truly amazing and has touched the hearts of everyone she’s met. My husband and I are the luckiest parents around to have been given this little angel. We will continue to face obstacles as Chloe grows, but that’s ok. The obstacles we’ve faced so far have made us the strong, patient, loving people we are today. Chloe is our miracle! Stories of Hope 9