This is Easton. He was brought into our lives by way of emergency C-Section on May 12, 2017. Soon after Easton's birth he was placed in the infant special care unit at Sentara Leigh in Norfolk for multiple desats (he was not receiving enough oxygen). Doctors soon realized that he was having trouble breathing when crying due to his recessed bottom jaw, a common symptom of DiGeorge. Only two days into little Easton's life he was transported to the NICU at Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters in Norfolk. This is where he would spend the next two weeks of his life.

Easton has been a soldier since the day he was born. He could not latch on to breastfeed due to his small mouth and recessed jaw so a feeding tube was placed through his nose into his stomach so that he could receive the nutrients from breast milk. During his stay at the CHKD NICU a plethora of tests, ultrasounds, and bloodwork was done to figure out what was causing him to lose weight. We were lucky to have an extremely knowledgeable doctor that recognized a few physical traits associated with genetic disorders. The next step was to see if Easton had one and indeed he did. When he was only one week old he was diagnosed with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

Easton had a swollen kidney that was detected early on in the pregnancy and monitored very closely throughout (another symptom of DiGeorge). His first big operation came when he was just over a month old. He was put under and a catheter was placed in him so that doctors could get an internal look at the kidney. Easton was able to outgrow his swollen kidney shortly thereafter. Due to his DiGeorge syndrome he had a sub mucus cleft pallet which caused all sorts of sinus issues. He obtained multiple ear infections in a short period of time. His second operation came when he was just under 6 months. Doctors again had to put him under to insert ear tubes so that his ears could drain properly.

Easton is now about to turn two years old and leads a very normal life. He goes to daycare five days a week, plays with his friends at the park, and loves wrestling with the dog. We do still have a hard time getting him to gain weight but have come to terms with the fact that he is just going to be a little guy. Mommy and Daddy’s little soldier.