Aurora
Finding joy while facing the challenges of having a child with disabilities.
Diana and Christina dreamed of having children. Through IVF they were able to conceive Aurora. Everything seemed fine until Diana went into labor two months before her due date. Her blood pressure was high and she was suffering from preeclampsia. As soon as Aurora was born she was rushed to the NICU where she stayed for the first five months of her life. Aurora had multiple complications, some of which even confused the doctors. She had issues with a heart valve, her lungs, her digestion system. She required breathing machines and feeding tubes to stay alive.
Because of Aurora’s health challenges there was a barrier that prevented Diana and Christina from connected with their daughter. This wasn’t what they had envisioned. After five months in the NICU, although Aurora was finally able to leave, she had a multiple health conditions; autism, cerebral palsy, grey-matter heterotopia, a curved spine, fine and gross motor skill issues along with digestive and kidney problems.
Having a child with so many disabilities can be overwhelming and exhausting. But both Diana and Christina have learned to adjust and embrace the challenges.
“I feel like we have to be present in how she’s doing now and not jump ahead. If we do a good enough job as parents, sort of recognizing what’s she interested in and recognizing her passions and exposing her to different things, we’re trying to get her excited about life.” - Christina
“There’s that fine line between despair…this kid has a role in society. There is a way to discover what that role is.” - Diana
