I can’t believe how fast one year has gone by. I remember writing about the very first CDG Day last year, a few things have changed some good – some not so good. The one constant is that my little Ladybug is one fierce little girl.
Since Ladybugs two emergency surgeries and summer hospital stay, she has struggled to stay healthy. Each cold and flu that she caught seemed to take longer for her to recover from. She has missed the majority of the school term. The smiles and happy jibber jabbers have been few and far between, but are slowly returning. Though she be but little, she is fierce. I keep reminding myself of this when I get a little sad about how fragile she is. She will get better, and I’m hopeful her loud chatter will return soon. Until then, Ladybugs little brothers more than make up for it.
This photo was taken on Mother’s Day (May 2018).
CDG has been a massive rollercoaster in our lives, Ladybugs fragile little body is fighting and we will fight for her. It is a disorder to which there is no cure, and that is heartbreaking. I have to say though – it isn’t all bad. If it wasn’t for Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, I would never have become a part of the most amazing tribe. I’ve grown so incredibly close to families that I’ve never met in person, we chat online, on the phone or FaceTime. Usually to ask questions about treatment options, questions about different ailments, etc., but it’s also just to talk to another mama who gets how rare and frustrating CDG can be. There is one mama in particular – she gets it! When we FaceTime I feel like I’m talking to a close relative or friend that I’ve known my entire life. It helps that our daughters have the same subtype too.
Last summer we were planning on heading to the USA for a family road trip with our Airstream “Juniper”, to see Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park. (Due to Ladybugs hospitalization we weren’t able to go) We were also going to meet Ladybugs CDG SLC35A2 sister. This sweet little American love bug is the 2nd girl in the world (Ladybug being the 1st) to be diagnosed with the same CDG subtype that my princess has. I’m so unbelievably excited that we will now be making that trek this summer. On the bright side of last summer, I had a lot of spare time while in the hospital, so all of the packing lists and must see tourist attractions like the Worlds Largest Ball of Twine list are already complete. Like last year I will be documenting our travels on a separate blog which I’ll post when I have it all up and running.
Little Ladybug Hugs 