Birth

Hey everyone!

Hope everyone is healthy and doing well. So this is my first blog post after my introduction so as I pondered what to write about I thought where better to start than with my birth and the details and experiences that surrounded that troubling and concerning time for my parents.

It was at my momma's first ultrasound that my parents were informed I was unique. The doctors at our local hospital really had no idea what could be wrong but they undoubtedly knew something wasn't quite right. At that point they suggested that my mom receive a 3D ultrasound which would hopefully give some more conclusive results as to what could be my medical diagnosis. After the ultrasound, the doctors unfortunately couldn't really provide many more details for my desperately concerned parents. The doctors did however confirm that I could have one of the two hundred types of dwarfism. The doctors also suggested many other possibilities, one of them being OI, but because OI is so rare, they never pursued that thought. The doctors also knew my bones were shorter in length, that my bones weren't growing properly, and that my bones had a slight curvature to them.

After receiving the little news that the doctors could provide my parents, they had so many emotions and thoughts running through their minds. On one hand they were thrilled to be having a baby but they were also really concerned about my health. Fear of the unknown I am sure creeped into their minds. Medical professionals really had no medical diagnosis to give me so the only thing my mom and dad could do was wait until I was born.

When I was born at my local small town jersey hospital, I had roughly a dozen broken bones. I was a natural birth since the doctors had no idea I was so fragile.  If they had known how fragile I was, they could have performed a C-Section. Several hours and broken bones later, I was taken to CHOP (Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia). The doctors left my broken bones untreated because they were still so unsure of my diagnosis. My doctors gave my parents' news no parent wants to hear. Unfortunately far too many parents with children with Osteogenesis Imperfecta receive this news. My doctors had told my parents I would most likely not live to even see my first birthday.

It has been 21 years and a lot has happened in between. Needless to say, I am most grateful that my doctors wrongly predicted my life expectancy. I am grateful for all the experiences I have had, both the good and the bad. They have made me who I am today. I have certainly learned a lot of things throughout my life. That's one of the things I think life is all about. Constantly learning. Having OI has certainly provided me with that. I look forward to writing more of my countless experiences about living with Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

So thank you for whoever is reading this and following my blog. I appreciate the comments and feedback so feel free to do so. :)

Until Next Time,

Noah Cook