Aubrey Irizarry

I HAD MY DAUGHTER AUBREY 2 WEEKS BEFORE I TURNED 17. IT WAS A HARD LABOR OF 53 HOURS. I DIDN'T THINK SHE WOULD EVER COME. SHE WAS BORN 8LBS 2 1/2 OZ AND A FULL HEAD OF HAIR. AT THAT MOMENT I HAD MY ANGEL. SHE WAS BORN MAY 28TH 1995. I KNEW IT WOULDN'T BE EASY WITH STILL BEING IN HIGH SCHOOL AND HAVING A CHILD, BUT I WAS DETERMINED TO DO IT. LESS THAN THREE MONTHS LATER I HAD TO DEAL WITH MY CLOSE FRIEND DYING AND THAT IS WHEN MY WORLD STARTED TO CRUMBLE. AFTER BURYING HIM, 3 WEEKS LATER ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, AUBREY STARTING WHINING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. BEING A YOUNG NEW MOM, I ASSUMED THAT SHE WAS TEETHING. THE NEXT MORNING I GOT HER UP, GAVE HER TYLENOL AND TOOK HER TO THE SITTER'S HOUSE SO I COULD GO TO SCHOOL. AFTER SCHOOL I WENT ON A JOB INTERVIEW. ON THE WAY THERE MY PAGER WENT OFF AND IT WAS THE BABYSITTER. I CALLED HER AND SHE TOLD ME THAT AUBREY WAS VERY SICK AND I HAD TO PICK HER UP. I WENT STRAIGHT THERE AND WHEN I GOT THERE AUBREY WASN'T. A FRIEND OF MINE WAS THERE AND SAID THAT WE HAD TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL BECAUSE AN AMBULANCE WAS CALLED TO PICK HER UP. SHE WAS RUNNING A HIGH FEVER AND WAS SEIZING ON THE ENTIRE RIGHT SIDE OF HER BODY. WHEN I GOT THERE THEY WOULDN'T TELL ME ANYTHING. SHE WAS HOOKED UP TO ALL KINDS OF MACHINES TO BREATH FOR HER. THEY IMMEDIATELY SENT HER TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PHILADELPHIA. WHEN I GOT TO CHILDREN'S THEY WOULDN'T TELL ME MUCH. ALL THEY TOLD ME WAS THAT SHE HAD MENINGITIS BUT THEY WERE UNSURE OF WHAT KIND. WHEN THE RESULTS CAME BACK THEY SAID IT WAS GROUP B STREP. FROM WHAT I NOW KNOW OF GBS IS THAT IT IS A BACTERIA THAT GROWS ON SOME PEOPLE. THEY TEST WOMEN WHILE THERE PREGNANT FOR IT, THEY DIDN'T THEN. THE ODD THING WAS THAT IF SHE GOT IT FROM ME, THE DOCTOR SAID THAT IT SHOULD HAVE MADE HER SICK WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF BEING BORN, NOT 3 MONTHS LATER. THERE WAS ALSO TWO BACTERIA FOUND IN HER SPINAL TAP. EVERYONE WAS CONFUSED ON THE ENTIRE SITUATION. THE DOCTORS TOLD ME THAT SHE PROBABLY WOULDN'T MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT AND THAT I SHOULD CALL IN A PRIEST TO CHRISTEN HER. THEY SAID THEY HAD TO REVIVE HER A FEW TIMES. I CALLED A BAPTIST MINISTER TO COME IN, SINCE HE WAS THE ONLY ONE WILLING TO COME IN AT 3AM. RIGHT BEFORE HE WENT IN, SHE STARTED HAVING SEIZURES. THEY DOCTORS AND NURSES RUSHED IN AND MADE ME LEAVE. WHEN I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GO BACK IN THEY TOLD ME THAT SHE WAS IN REALLY BAD SHAPE. A FEW DAYS WENT BY AND MORE AND MORE TESTS WERE DONE. I WAS TOLD THAT IF SHE MADE IT, SHE WOULD NEVER WALK OR TALK OR HAVE ANY FUNCTION. SHE HAD FRONTAL AND LEFT TEMPORAL LOBE DAMAGE. IT WAS LATER THAT I FOUND OUT SHE ALSO HAD 3 STROKES. SHE WAS LYING IN THE BED NOT MOVING AND SILENT. THEY HAD HER ARMS PINNED TO THE BED BECAUSE OF THE IVS. I WAS WITH HER TALKING TO HER WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN SHE HAD THE STRENGTH TO RIP THE PINS OUT OF THE SHEET TO FREE HER ARM. I KNEW AT THAT POINT THE DOCTORS WOULD BE WRONG. SHE WAS REMOVED FROM PICU AND PUT IN A DIFFERENT ROOM. A FEW WEEKS WENT BY AND SHE WAS ABLE TO COME HOME. SHE WAS BABBLING AND MOVING, WITH A RIGHT SIDED WEAKNESS, BUT ALIVE. THE DOCTORS STILL FELT SHE WOULD HAVE MAJOR PROBLEMS, BUT I KNEW DIFFERENTLY. WE WENT TO MANY TESTS AND DOCTORS APPOINTMENTS OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS. SHE WAS SHOWING PROGRESS EACH AND EVERY VISIT. TODAY AUBREY IS 10 AND YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW SHE HAD ANY PROBLEMS. SHE IS SLIGHTLY DELAYED IN READING (MAYBE 1 YR BEHIND OTHER KIDS HER AGE) AND HAS MUSCLE ACHES AND HEADACHES OCCASIONALLY. SHE IS CLUMSY, BUT THAT DOESN'T STOP HER FROM DOING DANCE (HIP HOP) AND CHEERLEADING FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS. SHE IS MY LIFE AND MY LITTLE MIRCLE THAT HAS STRUGGLED AND FOUGHT HARD EVERY MOMENT OF HER LIFE. I THANK GOD FOR LETTING HER STAY WITH ME. I ALSO HAVE THE FEELING THAT MY FRIEND, MY OTHER ANGEL, BOBBY BELL, HELPED HER MAKE IT THROUGH. I KNEW HE WAS WITH ME THROUGH THIS.