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.”
Tim Allen explains why he has never trusted anyone as much as his “Toy Story” co-star Tom Hanks.
Few actors and actresses are as well-known to the general public as Tim Allen for their appearances in television shows and films.
Even though the 69-year-old has held a significant position in Hollywood for many years, neither reviewers nor fans have had anything to say about him.
It should go without saying that he’s made his fair share of friends over the years; after all, with the number of individuals Tim has worked with, you’d think he’d have a who’s who of contacts in his phone book.
However, the man adds that there is one person in the entertainment sector in whom he has the most faith. It’s fitting that he was played by a man in one of the best children’s movies ever made.
During a visit to Kelly Clarkson’s show, Allen recently described his quick friendship with Tom Hanks.
“He and I disagree on so many issues. I admire that man’s heart and mind,” stated Allen of Hanks.
The A-list pair were spotted out and about recently, raising rumors that they are working on a new film.
“We’ve been going to lunch twice a year since Toy Story 1, and we’re like two older women because we sit almost too close at a booth,” Allen explained.
In fact, when filming Toy Story 1, Hanks was observed taking fries from his co-star’s plate.
Allen admitted that he had never experienced anything like it before, especially given that he had grown up in a household where it was not expected.
On his bond with Tom Hanks, who played Woody in the Toy Story film series to Allen’s Buzz Lightyear:
“And I don’t think I’ve ever trusted a human being as much as Tom to even listen to me, let alone listen to me.” We have significantly different perspectives on so many issues, but he’s convinced me that he’s a lovely and engaging person. He’s the first guy that pays attention to me and doesn’t pass judgment.”
I don’t know about you, but I am happy to see two such likable people form such close friendships. Despite spending so much time at the pinnacle of their careers, Hanks and Allen have generally avoided scandal.
That, in my opinion, speaks volumes about their moral character.
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