Josie Elizabeth Dowd born 2/3/06.
(http://www.josie.bigwaterbass.com\'images\'dsc00483%20(small))
She has a blessing in disguise. My wife and I found out in Dec that she would be born with a birth deforminity called Aperts Sydrome. As you can see, her fingers are fused together at the tips. This occurred on both hands and all the toes are fused together likewise. The chances of having a baby born with this is 1 in 160,000 births. I had better chance winning the 2006 Classic. Also with the syndrome, comes a problem with skull. The sutures in the skull plate fused together while she developed in the womb. This causes her not to have a forehead and her eyes look like one of those things from the movie Gremlins (remember the soft nice ones?) In about 3 to 9 months the doctors will, this is the sweet part, remove her skull, from her head, fix it, and bolt it back into place all the while she sits on the table sleeping. She will have the surgeries till she is about 10 or 12 years old. The finger deal will be taken care of before she will attend school.
Her and momma will return home Monday, as the boy and I will be watching the Superbowl at home and not the hospital. Check out her web site at www.josie.bigwaterbass.com (http://www.josie.bigwaterbass.com)
Also the Aperts web site is www.aperts.org
Sorry Dan about the link, I hope no one is offended by it.
Mark Dowd,
See on the Water
Dowd:
congrats - They are precious reguardless of the adversity to be overcome. I signed the guestbook, so check it out.
I posted Larry's condition web site. I don't have a problem at all with it. We can all learn. Coincidentally, but I recently listened to a book (I listen to talking books on my hour drive to work every day) that had a character family with this syndrome, so I have some curiosity about it.
I like to learn about things and I have been in the medical field pretty much my entire adult life.
Children are precious no matter what. Your new daughter is a gift and I know you'll cherish her and help her through any challenges she, and your family face.
This can be a challenging world, but family makes it worth living. Congratulations on your newest member Josie. And may everything work out to the best as you go along through this life your family and she have been given.
Mark,
Congratulations to your wife and you on your new baby girl Josie Elizabeth. I told my 11 year old daughter (my NBAA partner) and the rest of my family about her and her condition. We will include her and your family in all our prayers keeping in mind that all her issues will be solved and that she will be your partner out on the water in the future. :D Regards.
BD ;D
I would like to add my congratulations. My niece had a baby in August and weighed in a a pound and eight ounces. The doctors do miracles with these little ones now a days and her baby is now over 11 pounds. We will keep you family and your doctors in our prayers.
Thanks to everyone, especially the people that visited her site. She will be coming home on Monday. I thnk God that its just physical issues. Her craniofacial doctor is the best in the world. People travel here to MI to get him to work on their kids. A bonus is he also does headlights, so maybe my wife got hers fixed up. (Just Kidding Kellie).
Thanks again..
Mark Dowd
See you on the water
Congratulations! That is a great site that she has there..... what a blessing she will be for your family. :)