A Special Person In My Life: RaeLyn Rebekah
Rose Walrod
Carleen Brandenburg (February 6, 2014)
A small and tiny
infant can have an impact on a person’s life in ways they never thought
possible. On May 15, 2012, my friend Jazmyn and her boyfriend Corey Walrod gave
birth to a baby girl named RaeLyn Rebekah Rose Walrod at Mason City, IA. RaeLyn
was a really tiny baby (weighing at only 5 lbs 5.2 oz), but she became so
special to me because she’s a fighter, taught me important values, and has
determination.
RaeLyn is a fighter
because when she was 23 hours, she had to be med-flighted to Iowa City for
specialized care. While at the children’s hospital in Iowa City, RaeLyn was
diagnosed with CHD (Congenital Heart Defect), a heart murmur, one functioning
kidney, a defect in the liver, and Alagille Syndrome (is a genetic disorder,
which affects the appearance of the person as well as major organs in the
body). RaeLyn had to get a silo for her intestines (she ended up with a serious
infection in the intestines), be put on breathing and feeding tubes twice, and
overcome various tests and surgeries while at the hospital. When she was around
four months old, she would finally be discharged from the hospital. However,
RaeLyn will have to go through even more tests in surgeries in the future
because of the various birth defects she has.
While RaeLyn was at
the hospital in Iowa City, she indirectly taught me various life values that
are important. The life skills I gained were about being strong, keeping hope,
and not taking my life for granted. I learned strength through being there for
Jazmyn and Corey so they would cope better with everything that went on at the
hospital no matter how much I wanted to breakdown and cry with them. I had to
have hope that RaeLyn would be okay and nothing serious would happen while she
was at the hospital. The most important value was not taking life for granted.
I’m lucky that I’m healthy and that I don’t have all these defects. From now
on, I look at life with a different (and more positive) perspective than what I
had before RaeLyn was born.
What I’m so thankful
for is RaeLyn’s determination to leave the hospital. There were a few high risk
surgeries RaeLyn had to go through. She would always make it through the
surgeries no matter what, which always made me happy. Even when she was able to
go home, RaeLyn was determined to learn everything that babies need to learn.
Today, RaeLyn is
about 17 pounds. She has mousy brown hair, with adorable brown eyes. She can do
things other toddlers can do, even though she learned those things in a shorter
amount of time. She’s still really tiny, as she can fit in the same size of
clothes as a six month old baby. RaeLyn is super adorable and energetic. She
makes all these cute faces at the telephone whenever I call.
These are a few of
the reasons why RaeLyn is one of the most special people in my life. I know
that throughout RaeLyn’s life, there’ll be more reasons why she would be
special in my life. I also know that RaeLyn will always be a fighter, teach me
more life values, and be determined.
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