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.”
SIMON COWELL HAS HAD A TOUGH TIME IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND IT HAS SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED HIS LIFE.
Simon Cowell faced health problems due to two bicycle accidents that happened two years apart. He and the other judges of America’s Got Talent talked about it on the Today Show with hosts Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Terry Crews. The 63-year-old celebrity had another accident in London in 2022 while riding his e-bike, following a previous fall in Malibu in 2020.
Simon was asked how the bike accidents changed his view on life for the upcoming 18th season of America’s Got Talent.
Before the accidents, he admitted, “I wasn’t in the best shape, so the accidents were pretty bad for me.” It wasn’t until the recovery process that he realized how unfit he was.
Then he said, “It was an eye-opener, a true moment of realization!” Simon noticed his strong passion for biking and said he believed everything happens for a reason.
He declared, “I’m not giving up on my bike,” making his fellow judges happy. He really loves these amazing inventions.
After the second accident, Simon had to go to the hospital, where they found he had a broken arm and a concussion.
Even though the second bike crash wasn’t as bad as the first, it still made Simon break his back and wear a wrist brace for many months. After these accidents, he changed how he lives, especially for his nine-year-old son, Eric. Simon’s fiancée, Lauren Silverman, inspired him to make positive changes.
In an interview last year with The Sun, he talked about dealing with the aftermath of his e-bike accident. Simon said, “I was in such a bad place when I broke my back that I thought about going to therapy for the first time in my life.”
He felt sad because he couldn’t share his feelings with Eric. Simon wondered when he could do activities with Eric again, like playing soccer and going for walks.
Eric was born to Simon and Lauren on February 14, 2014. After Simon’s bike accidents, he shared that his son came up with a funny new nickname for him.
During an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the judge from Britain’s Got Talent admitted feeling “embarrassed” after watching episodes at home.
Now, Simon’s back has metal rods and screws after surgery, but he found comfort in Eric comparing him to the famous superhero Iron Man.
Simon proudly said, “When I reunited with my family, Eric said, ‘Dad, you look like Iron Man.’” “Yeah, I’m like Iron Man, indeed,” I grinned.
Since then, Simon doesn’t have trouble laughing off his challenges. He even downplayed more serious injuries from working on the AGT stage in June 2021.
During a kid-friendly Shaolin Kung Fu act, Terry asked Simon if he could see himself doing risky acrobatics. Simon joked, “After hurting my back, going around the garden with Eric felt like a great achievement. But, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘Maybe not such a great idea!’”
Simon’s journey shows his unbreakable determination. Despite the difficulties from the bike accidents, he stays excited about cycling and life, finding humor in his misadventures. Share this article with friends and family!
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