Abby’s Journey: Defying the Odds and Choosing Joy

I first wrote about Abby here.  

I was encouraged to give an update about Abby because so much has happened since this was published in August! On September 6, 2012, Abby was officially trach-free! She had a successful decannulation and proved the doctors wrong once again! After spending just one night in the hospital, we headed home to adjust to a new, trach-free life. Abby had a wonderfully healthy winter, and we are now in our longest stretch out of the hospital! We are enjoying more time as a family doing what “typical” families do.

Since her decannulation, Abby’s interest in eating has really improved. We have been doing biweekly feeding therapy for nearly a year, and I have been thrilled with her progress. Just recently, Abby has been taking significantly more Pediasure, which means that less has to go in her overnight g-tube feed! In fact, she has even gone “tube-free” a few nights! While we aren’t even close to getting rid of the tube altogether, her progress and determination are impressive. In less than a month, we will join an intensive feeding day program. Abby will be in “feeding school” from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. five days a week for eight weeks. We are hoping to see improvements in her chewing and self-feeding.

We are continually in awe of how God has chosen to perform miracles in Abby. We talk about the miracles often as a family, and Abby even tells people, “I am a miracle!” I pray that her story brings you hope that miracles can and DO happen!