Posted on 12/12/2004 3:55:37 PM PST by AM2000
JACKSONVILLE, FL -- When most parents have a baby, they spend months dreaming about what their bundle of joy will look like. Will she look like mom? Will he have dad's eyes? But for one local Navy family, the birth of their daughter didn't give them the answers to those questions. Their daughter was born without a face.
When Tammy was pregnant, she knew something was wrong. At worst, they thought maybe their baby had a cleft lip.
So Tammy, and her husband Tom, went to the hospital happy, until the birth.
"The nurse is like, 'We got her stable, we need to rush her upstairs,'" explains Tom, as he recalls every minute of that day. "And the nurse asked, 'Do you want your wife to see her now?'"
Tom says he thought to himself, "Before she gets the shock I did, let me take a picture so she's prepared."
Tammy hadn't seen her new baby yet, because she almost bled to death during delivery. Tammy would be okay, meanwhile, dad went to take pictures of his new daughter.
But no matter what, these new parents had a wish. "That if there was something wrong, she wouldn't be alone. We wanted to make sure she felt loved," said Tom, as he began to cry. "She squeezed my hand."
Little Juliana is missing 30 - 40 percent of the bones in her face.
"She has no upper jaw, no cheek bones, no eye sockets, and she's missing the corner of her ear," explains Tom.
Her birth defect is called Treacher Collins Syndrome. Doctors say it's the worst case they've ever seen.
So, how do you get people to see past all the defects, and find her heart? For mom, it just hurts.
"I just wish people would ask questions. Don't just stare," says Tammy. "I guess the most hurtful thing came not long ago, a little girl said she was disgusting."
Juliana has to eat through her stomach, and she has a trach to breathe. Already, less than two years into her life, she's had 14 surgeries. Doctors say she could need at least 30 more.
Every time she goes to the hospital, doctors make a mold of her head, and then reconstruct her skull to figure out the next step.
It's a life-long process that's draining for Tammy and Tom. Even still, they're thankful and full of love for their sweet child.
"God never gives you more than you can handle. I figure she has a lot to show everyone... to show the world," says Tom.
If you are interested in helping the Wetmore family, a savings account is set up for donations at the Vystar Credit Union in Middleburg.
Donations can be made at ANY Vystar Credit Union to Juliana Wetmore at member number 2102465.
Direct donations can be sent to:
Juliana Wetmore
3018 Hickory Glenn Dr.
Orange Park, FL 32065
I completely understand where you are coming from. Most scoff at the Word of God.
Glad you pointed out the video.
Words fail me...
God bless them.
She will be ok. God gave this little girl to strong and loving parents.
How sad! May God help them get through this, & help the little girl heal.
Wish they'd set up a way for people to donate on-line.
You answered your own question: because of despair.
and meanspirited.
God Bless the medical profession - they can perform miracles these days. And God Bless the parents of this little one.
There is now a possibility of a face transplant. Pray for a medical miracle.
Ashlynn was blessed with loving parents as this little girl was.
This was just one part of an episode of their show "Plastic Surgery." The second part involved a woman with a clown act who said a cavernous wrinkle on her face started with the "Bush Administration." The surgeon, who was wearing an American flag scrub cap, gave her a little guffaw but I'm sure he was tempted to say, "Get the h*ll out of my office, you self-indulgent vain freak! If your candidate and his running mate won he'd sue all doctors out of the profession."
I wonder about the children with facial deformities born to parents who are selfish, self-involved and nonbelievers.
I wonder how correlated birth defects are to problem deliveries? In the past, did nature have such a way of removing defects from the gene pool?
That scripture is to and for believers, rather than for those who would believe the lying words of the one who comes to kill and destroy.
I agree with you.
Then you agree with me in refuting the biblical assertion in post #32.
I was thinking the same thing. I'm really surprised this was not known during tests while Tammy was pregnant.
more evidence of a loving god and his rightious followers.
But, alas, there are many of FR who are their own gods....making it up as they go along. Oh, puny man....who thinks he knows better. Where was he when the foundations of the earth were established, the wind set on its course, and the seas given their charter?
I worked at an art school for the disabled for a few months. Some of the students were terribly disfigured. I remember one who when I first saw her I flinched. She turned out to be my favorite student. She was SO funny. To this day I laugh when I remember some of the things she said and did.
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