We were so blessed to have Arianna join our family on a chilly Groundhog's day. She was perfect in every way. The cutest blonde hair with a little curl at the top, blue eyes, and sweet disposition. We knew there was something exceptional about Ari when she had difficulty eating but she eventually caught on. It was when she couldn't sit up at 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 months that we started to worry. We enrolled Arianna in Early Intervention while the doctors did a battery of tests on her from Catscans to MRI to bloodwork. We couldn't find anything out of the ordinary but something was definately different. After deciding to move closer to family we found a great daycare for Arianna (where she now attends preschool). We also found a family with a little girl who resembled Arianna so much. It was through this family that we were able to ask the doctors the right questions and run the proper tests. After two years of wondering and waiting, Arianna was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome a very rare genetic disorder that affects the her neurologically and developmentally. It was so rare that the doctors couldn't tell us anything we hadn't already read for ourselves via the ASF Website or from the kind family that took the time to remind us that our daughter will always be the same happy girl she was before the diagnosis. The doctors didn't think she would talk or walk for a very long time, if at all.
Arianna has decided to defy a lot of the many predispositions the doctors made. She is not allowing the syndrome to define her, she is her own spunky, self-determined, sassy, little girl. We invite you to check out her blog where you can see the world from her eyes and heart www.ariannasmom.blogs.friendster.com
