View allAll Photos Tagged limbdifferences
This is Dylan at 9 months, taken on July 8th. I can't believe how fast he's growing up.
Dylan is such a special boy, for so many reasons. He is sweet, smart, affectionate, adorable, and so full of light and magic.
Another thing that makes him special is that he was born with a limb difference. Have you noticed? Dylan has something called symbrachydactyly. In Dylan's case, his left hand is smaller, with missing and/or shortened bones, and all of his fingers (including his thumb) are fused. His left forearm is also a tiny bit shorter than his right.
This wasn't something we knew about or were expecting. It was a complete surprise and shock to us when he was born. We'd never heard of it before, or seen anything quite like it. Things were very scary in the beginning, because we didn't know what his hand meant. To make a very long (and ongoing) story short . . . we saw a lot of doctors, and he underwent a lot of tests to rule out any other problems. The general consensus is that in spite of his hand, he is a very healthy little boy. :)
Dylan will need many surgeries to help his hand function as well as possible. To begin with, he will (over the course of several operations) need to have his fingers separated. The first of these major surgeries is coming up, right around the corner, in mid-August. The thought of surgery fills me with dread, but thinking of the results is very exciting indeed.
Let me just say that this kid is amazing. Absolutely nothing stops him, and he is not held back by his hand in any way. He has been crawling for a while now, and is now also pulling up on all the furniture, and starting to walk around (while holding on). He uses his "little hand" so well. He can pick up toys, turn pages in his books, and even feed himself little finger foods with it. It has been so wonderful watching him learn to use it and figure things out. He is just awesome, and I am such a proud momma. :)
The first few months of his life, I was full of fear and uncertainty. What would this mean for him? Would he be able to do "normal" things? I had so many questions and felt like we were the only ones in the world. I'd never heard of symbrachydactyly before. I, naturally, turned to the internet. I spent so much time online researching, scouring the web for information. I found myself in an online forum, which eventually led me to the Lucky Fin Project.
Boy do I wish I'd known about it sooner. After talking with other parents and reading stories about other kids born with limb differences, I realized that my boy will be just fine. Better than fine. He'll be awesome. He will be able to do anything he puts his mind to, and it is my job as his mom to make sure that he knows he is capable of anything. It is up to us, the people in his life, to show him that he can do anything he wants to do, and be anything he wants to be. I will never tell him he can't do something because of his hand.
All I want to do is celebrate this amazing little boy. He is such a blessing, such a gift, and the light of my life. We would not change a single thing about him. I never thought someone so new to the world could teach me so much, or could change my life so completely.
I am posting this for a few reasons. For one, because I think you all (my Flickr friends) should know. It's not a secret, but I haven't gotten around to writing about it here until now. I want you all to know, not just about Dylan, but about limb differences in general. It's something I wish I'd known about sooner - knowing would have spared me so much emotional strain. Another reason I'm posting this, is because maybe at some point, some frightened parent of a brand new baby born with something similar will be doing exactly what I was doing (frantic internet searches) and see this. And maybe seeing this will let them know that they aren't alone. That it will be ok. It will.
If you'd like to help spread awareness, love, and support, you can visit luckyfinproject.org . The Lucky Fin community is incredible - full of encouragement, positivity, strength, hope, and inspiration. Be sure to check out the Lucky Fin Family gallery, there are some pictures of my boy in it. ;)
So, yes. This is Dylan. My absolutely perfect little mister Dylan Matthew. <3
Kitt was admitted into our care at seven months old. He came to us as a healthy baby boy with congenital limb differences of the hand and foot.
Kitt was able to receive corrective surgery last fall from a visiting medical team, and he has recovered well. Now, at a year and a half old, Kitt could easily be described as one of the happiest and friendliest babies we care for. He loves to play, and is rarely seen without a big grin on his face.
Although unable to walk yet because of his foot, he is very quick to get around with an “army crawl.” Kitt also has quite the contagious laugh.
Please join us in praying for Kitt as he continues to grow and develop. Pray that Show Hope would be able to provide the appropriate medical care and nurture Kitt needs while he remains under our care.
Kids learn by playing and sometimes need a little help to be able to hold onto objects. 🎉
Thank you @hydranencephaly for sharing!
Get your EazyHold straps on our website - eazyhold.com
Here is Daniel using the yellow silicone strap from EazyHold to draw! Daniel was born with no feet or hands but look at him go! We are so proud of him ⭐️ ❤️
Thank you @daniel_solinas18 for sharing!