Partial Trisomy 18 Emerson

Emerson was born at 41 weeks weighed 6 lbs 6 oz 20 inches long. He was born with partial trisomy 18, wasn't diagnosed till almost 8 months old. Mostly because of the neglect of his doctor telling me his genetic testing results. He is doing well but, still has many doctors appointments to find out the full extent of how this will efect him. He is currently on a feeding tube because of a delayed swallow. I didn't want to ask for help or feel like a charity case but, I know with all the doctors appointments and possible hospital stays my income is hurting. Being a single mother and sole provider, every little bit of missed work hurts.

For those that really don't know what Trisomy 18 here is a brief description and some things it can cause:

"Trisomy 18 is a genetic disorder in which a person has a third copy of material from chromosome 18, instead of the usual two copies. Trisomy 18 occurs in 1 in 6,000 live births. It is three times more common in girls than boys.

Symptoms:

Clenched hands
Crossed legs
Feet with a rounded bottom (rocker-bottom feet)
Low birth weight
Low-set ears
Mental delay
Poorly developed fingernails
Small head (microcephaly)
Small jaw (micrognathia)
Undescended testicle
Unusual shaped chest (pectus carinatum)

Half of infants with this condition do not survive beyond the first week of life, and 90% of the children will die by one year of age. Some children have survived to the teenage years, but with serious medical and developmental problems."