Adorable Little Doc

For today’s Throwback Thursday post, we’ll revisit Kairi’s wonderful story.

Little Kairi began facing her challenges before she was even born. At her 19 week anatomy scan, doctors saw that her mom’s cervix was already dilating and she was rushed to the hospital. Her mom chose to fight for her little girl so she had surgery for a rescue cerclage and was put on strict bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

There her mom stayed for ten weeks when she began to feel pain in her abdomen. The pain intensified through the morning and her mom made the decision to go to the hospital. At the hospital, the medical team couldn’t keep Kairi’s heartbeat but they were puzzled because there were no contractions. When her mom felt like she needed to go to the bathroom, the nurse did an exam and was shocked to see hair. Kairi had broken through the two cerclages and was not slowing down. Kairi was born at 28 weeks and was 2lbs 12oz and 15 in long. Her mom had had a complete placental abruption and both were lucky to be alive. Sadly, this meant that Kairi was without oxygen for a while.

Kairi spent the next two months in the hospital as she gained her strength. She spent time on a c pap breathing machine and then a nasal cannula. She developed jaundice numerous times. She struggled to gain weight but went home weighing a whopping 4lbs 8oz! She was super tiny but it was a relief for her family to finally have her home.

At first her mom thought Kairi escaped her traumatic birth unharmed but she began to notice things as she got older. First, it was how Kairi would suddenly stare off into the distance and ball her hands so tight they would turn blue, which she would later learn were seizures. Then Kairi started losing skills and wouldn’t hold her head up while on her tummy so she couldn’t breathe. Next, she started having major issues eating and was gagging and choking, which lead to not gaining any weight. Then Kairi began having social and sensory issues and her mom knew she was trending for Autism.

When she was a year old, Kairi had a nissen fundoplication and a G tube put in to help with her feedings. Kari is now three years old and is facing a daunting list of medical complications including epilepsy, Mitochondrial Disease, Dysautonomia, Dysphagia, Global Developmental Delay, and Severe Intellectual disability. In October, Kairi received many more diagnoses and had a GJ tube placed. Unfortunately, it is not helping and her stomach, intestines and colon are barely working so Kairi is looking at the possibility of much more surgery.

Kari celebrated her third birthday in October and Sugar Angel Maite Crespo of Cha Cha’s Delights in Orlando, FL created a wonderful Doc McStuffins themed cake to help make the celebration even sweeter. Kairi’s mom says she is funny, quirky and adorable and she loves her more than words could ever hope to express.