Meet Chloe

Chloe was born August 12, 2008, 3 weeks early while we were on vacation in Maine! (We live in CT, about 5-6 hours away). Although exciting, Chloe’s arrival was fast and fairly uneventful. She was born with Down syndrome and a major heart defect (a complete and balanced Atrioventricular Septal Defect or AVSD). Her conditions were discovered at 19 weeks gestation and complications were not expected to begin for several months after birth. Chloe was strong at birth and after a brief stay in the NICU for evaluation was even able to room in with us. However, after returning home, 6 days after birth, Chloe’s troubles began with a simple UTI. In the first 9 weeks of life she bounced in and out of the hospital with failure to thrive, severe congestive heart failure and respiratory distress. She had open heart surgery at 9 weeks and a g-tube placement at 6 months. She has a TINY opening to her airway, severe obstructive sleep apnea and complications related to generalized hypotonia. All these things can make things such as a simple cold a difficult thing for our little peanut. She is a fighter though and ALWAYS keeps a smile on her face. She is an amazing spirit that we get strength from every day