In recent years, an increasing number of babies have been diagnosed with serious diseases in their first months of life, and experts believe that this trend will continue in the future. While the coronavirus seems to be one of the major reasons for this trend, experts say that a busy way of life and unhealthy daily habits are very important factors when it comes to the well-being of a newborn.
Thousands of babies, toddlers, and small children are diagnosed with serious and life-threatening diseases every year in America. Such was the case with the now 7-year-old Evie-Mae, who was given almost zero chances to succeed in life when she was only a few months old. Her 28-year-old mother decided to speak out and reveal to the public what she, her husband, and her daughter Evie went through during the years, hoping that her story would help other parents.
The hopeless mother demanded answers from doctors when Evie was registered blind at just a few months old and when her head started to swell a few months later. When she was eight months old, doctors discovered that baby Evie had hydrocephalus, the buildup of fluid in the ventricles deep within the brain.
At the time when she was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, the pressure inside her head was 32 times the normal level. According to the doctors at the hospital, they used different methods and successfully managed to relieve the pain and prevent further fluid buildup in the brain, but according to them, the damage to the brain had already been done and there was nothing they were able to do to fix that.
Evie’s parents were told that the pressure directly damaged parts of the brain responsible for sight, speech, and movement ability. In simple terms, doctors told the parents that Evie would probably never regain sight and that she would probably never learn to walk and talk. As expected, Evie’s parents were devastated.
In the years to come, there was progress, and her sight started to return slowly. When she was still a toddler, Evie’s sight significantly improved, and that was confirmed by doctors who conducted tests every now and then to keep track of the progress. Beating the odds, Evie then slowly started to move her hands and legs, and started to speak. In a period of just a few months, she learned to walk and speak almost fluently.
Usually, hydrocephalus is a condition that can’t be cured and forever requires shunts—hollow tubes surgically placed in the brain—to drain fluid from the area. There is a long road to go to full recovery, but last year Evie was told that her hydrocephalus disappeared. Evie is now thriving as a seven-year-old. She lives without shunts, is at the top of her class, and can see perfectly without any glasses.
While she is still undergoing eye tests every six months to monitor her progress, doctors have been amazed by her journey. “They can’t believe it,” said proud mother Amy. “Evie is phenomenal. We’re so proud of her. She’s an amazing little girl, and so brave.”
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