Those nine months a mom carries her baby are filled with joy, anticipation, and a dose of uncertainty. What the new parents hope for is their bundle of joy to be healthy. Sadly, that is not always the case.
Jennie Wilklow, from Highland, New York, couldn’t wait to meet her daughter. She and her husband were over the moon to hold her in their arms. All the ultrasounds and doctor’s appointment suggested the baby was healthy, so they were eased and never thought sweet Anna would be born with a condition that would change all of their lives forever.
Jennie delivered Anna via C-section at 34 weeks. Doctors told her she looked beautiful and that was all Jennie needed to hear at that point.
Shortly after, the proud mom heard her daughter cry, and that was just another sign that everything was right with her little jewel.
When her husband visited Jennie, he was strangely silent and looked worried and puzzled.
“My husband’s silence scared me; he just sat in shock as the doctor left, and I prodded for more info,” Jennie shared with Cafe Mom.
“He just kept saying, ‘It’s bad.’ What does that even mean? I thought in my head. He told me, ‘Jennie, I looked in her eyes, and she has the most beautiful soul.’”
Anna was diagnosed with harlequin ichthyosis, a rare condition that causes thick diamond-shaped plates that are separated by deep cracks. “As they tried frantically to help her, her skin hardened within seconds (of birth). After hardening, it began to split, causing open wounds all over her body,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
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Although doctors weren’t sure she would survive, Anna beat the odds and is thriving. “She was beauty in the purest form,” her mom said.
There isn’t cure, and the treatment is quite demanding as it requires constant baths and keeping the skin as much moisturized as possible. “Every couple of hours I covered her with Vaseline and bathed her for many hours of the day. I had dreamed for years about the things my baby would wear, and though it seemed so trivial, it was what I struggled with most,” Jennie said.
In an attempt to raise awareness about this condition, Jennie posts photos of Anna on her Instagram page harlequindiva. She opens up about the everyday struggles and what it is like to have a child with harlequin ichthyosis.
“Anna captured everyone’s hearts because she is the purest form of perfection. Doing the work every day is simple when I’m doing it for her, and with every new accomplishment, the world celebrates with me,” Jennie told Cafe Mom.
She adds, “I now understand that I was given her because of the love I already carried in my heart for my daughter. Anna was meant for me, and I for her, and together we will show the world what true beauty is.”
Sally Field recently turned 76 – try not to smile when you see her today
Sometimes, keeping up with Hollywood glitz requires using procedures like plastic surgery to seem younger. It’s no secret that a lot of celebrities choose cosmetic surgery in order to maintain their youthful appearance and the chances it presents.
Actress Sally Field is among some in the film industry who are unwilling to adopt this trend, though.
It’s safe to say that Field has an impressive career because she has starred in movies like Forrest Gump, Norma Rae, Mrs. Doubtfire, and Sweetheart. She has also been nominated for two BAFTA Film Awards, two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two SAG Awards, and most recently, the Life Achievement Award.
She is 76 years old, but she still looks amazing and is content with the way she looks. She accepted her naturally gray hair and looked stunning in black for her SAG Achievement Award speech.
“I felt out of the spotlight, cautious, and reserved. But I never knew what I would say or do when I was on stage. I’d surprise myself,” the actress remarked. “It’s great, but I wasn’t hoping for attention or praise.”
“Acting has always been about preserving those precious moments when I feel whole, thoroughly, and sometimes dangerously alive,” the actress went on. It has never been easy to find a way there.
They gave me the confidence to be vulnerable and revealed aspects of myself to me that I never would have otherwise known. I’ve spent my entire life at work. Over the course of her nearly 60-year career, she said, “I have never been happier to identify as an actor.”
She was questioned in 2016 about her feelings over her portrayal of the venerable and quirky Doris Miller.
“It’s alright, I’m an old woman; seventy is old.” I’ve gained strength from my years; I’ve owned them and earned the right to have them. And it’s okay, even if I don’t like my neck and a lot of other things,” Field said to NPR.
And although there is a serious battle against ageism in Hollywood, Field chooses to remain true to herself when it comes to the natural aging process. “When I watch myself on TV, I think, ‘Oh, I wish that weren’t happening to my neck. In addition, your face is contracting and your eyes are protruding. But then I see some of the women that I used to think were so beautiful—women who have had plastic surgery. I’m feeling right now, oh no. Don’t do that! She had previously stated, “And that would seem disrespectful to who they are right now.”
Field experienced two marriages and two divorces. She wed Steven Craig in 1986, and the two of them had two boys. In 1975, the pair decided to call it quits.
Before she married film producer Alan Greisman, she dated Burt Reynolds. Greisman and Field are parents to a son.
She ultimately made the decision to devote herself fully to her work, but the turning point in her life came when she became a grandmother.
She loved spending time with her grandchildren at her lovely beach house with views of the ocean, and she embraced her new job.
We adore Sally Field.
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