Alex's Story

In 2003 I found out I was pregnant with my 3rd daughter, in the first trimester I spend month at the doctors because I started spotting and found out that my HCG levels were not increasing the way they were supposed to and an ultrasound revealed that the baby was too small for the gestation time. A doctor said that I must have found out I was pregnant too early.
The rest of the pregnancy went well and at the end I was 4 cm dialated and was not going into labor. The day after my due date I was induced.

Alexandra Gabrielle was born weighing 7.12 lbs and measuring 19" she came out crying and then stopped and they got her to start again. She was a healthy child there were no physical problems. One day it hit me that she was old enough to hold her bottle but she wasn't I dismissed it. She walked at 15 months, her sisters walked at 8 months (Yasmin) and Kayla at 10 months but I just told myself that they develop differently and did not worry. When Alex started to walk and still she was not talking I started to worry and decided to give her until she turned 2 yrs old.

2 yrs old and only babble, I worried and brought it up at the pediatrician's office. I got not much help from them I was told after the speech evaluation showed Alex's speech is very delayed that Alex needs an audiologist. The pediatrician's office was horrible with the refferal so I went to the Children's Hospital of Atlanta website and found Dr Riski and emailed him my story and he was beyond helpful he put us in touch with the right doctors and Alex got a chromosome test, hearing, xrays etc...

December 2006 I picked up the cromosome test and read the words retardation and 11q24 cromosome and losted. I had to wait until we saw the genetics doctor to get the english version of what was happening.

That night I did not sleep I cried all night she fell asleep in my arms that night... I could not put her down all night I wonder what would her life be like, who would take care of her when I am gone? Would her sisters help her out? Would she have a normal independent life?, a career? Love?, Children? What will her quality of life going to be like? Would she ever talk?

Today, Alex is a super girl. ALex is one of the happiest most loving, helpful, respectful, fun child you will ever meet. She is a wonderful human being. She still not talking, she says Mama and immitates a lot of sounds. Physically she is 100% her organs are great last we checked her hearing is good also. Right now our biggest problem right now is getting rid of the paci.