On October 23, 2013 OLIVIA DIANNE KELLY PASSED HER THIN LIQUIDS SWALLOW STUDY! It is a day that will forever be in my top 10 best days EVER. It was her 6th swallow study. The initial first one, a complete and utter shock back in August 2010 resulted in Olivia being admitted IMMEDIATELY for observations that lasted 4 days and got her a feeding tube in place.
Olivia sat through the test like a champion, like the true fighter she is and when they told me she passed I literally cried tears of joy. I was SHOCKED. After hearing so many times before " she didn't pass, she is still aspirating" and then trying to figure out the "next course of treatment" I thought my chance of getting a positive result were slim. The entire staff was thrilled, as they all became familiar with Olivia. They all cheered for her! It was a life changing day! A day we will never, ever forget.
Although the phrase "Don't ever forget where you came from" is so cliche, in this situation it's really all I can think to sum it up. I had my first baby at age 23, a completely healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy, a difficult labor which ended in a c-section, but at the end an extremely healthy baby boy who consumed every ounce of love I had within my being. Two years later, at age 25, I had another seamless pregnancy, not a touch of morning sickness, a scheduled c-section that went perfect and another beautiful, healthy baby. And then, just when I thought I had this whole baby making thing mastered, I got pregnant on the very first try for baby number three. Like clockwork. I later miscarried that child and was devastated by the loss. As soon as I got the OK to try again I did, and again, it happened very quickly. I was nervous but ecstatic at the same time. And then the morning sickness began. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY for the ENTIRE pregnancy. And then the soft markers for Down's Syndrome came. A specialist in Boston assured me my chances of a baby with Downs was 1 in 375 but I still had a nagging feeling something was wrong. And then the pre pre-eclampsia came and got me tossed on bed rest for 4 weeks. Finally, the day she was born I held her and cried that she was finally here, that she was perfect. For hours that night I looked her over to see if there were any signs of Down's Syndrome. I remember her breathing seemed off to me, but thought I was once again overreacting. It took over 5 months to get a definitive diagnosis and 27 months, countless tests, 10 anesthesia procedures and a lot of anxiety to get a treatment, but the moral of the story is, MOTHERS INTUITION prevails over all. So, back to don't forget where you come from. I was the mother who had everything perfect. The perfect clothes for my kids, the perfect shoes, the perfect play dates. Yet when you have something challenged as monumental as your child's LIFE that new pair of Nikes really doesn't mean a thing. I have been humbled. I have learned what is important in my children's lives and its not having the best material things. Olivia's team of doctors at Children's Hospital Boston are truly heroes in my book. Dr. Reza Rahbar is the most gifted surgeon I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. He mastered the technique to fix the laryngeal cleft without a scar through the throat. Only a few doctors in the world know how to do this. And guess who they learned it from? I cannot ever express my gratitude and love for this man for saving my baby.
They say everything happens for a reason. Olivia happened to ME for a reason. Yes, it was stressful, and there was pain and heartache and confusion but at the end of it all, I have this beautiful, caring, STRONG daughter that I know will reach any goal she puts in front of her.
You did Olivia, YOU WON!!!!
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