Ninja is a very special little boy. I say that both as his godfather who loves him and as someone who is training to become a nurse. Ninja has a condition called 22q. I have pasted the following from the website of "The International 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Foundation, Inc"
"The 22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a recognizable pattern of physical and developmental features associated with a missing piece of genetic material from chromosome 22. The condition is sometimes referred to as velo-cardio-facial or DiGeorge syndrome. The effects of the deletion can include a variety of physical findings, such as heart problems, cleft palate, immune deficiency, and a characteristic facial appearance. In addition, many people with the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome show a spectrum of developmental issues, including learning, social, and emotional differences." http://www.22q.org/
He inherited the syndrome from his father, Aztek, one of my best and oldest friends. Aztek has the heart condition that can be part of the syndrome, and that is where most of his issues have come from. Because of this history when he and his wife became pregnant they started doing tests and such to make sure they knew as much as possible before the baby arrived. It maybe important to note that Ninja is their second child. Their older daughter, Eldest, was born completely normal. They have no issues beyond what is expected with any child, and have avoided even many of them. Eldest is a good tempered and wonderful little girl.
Ninja has had a few issues so far. He was born with a cleft palate, a minor thing in the big picture and will be fixed after he turns one year old. Until then he needs to use a special bottle with a longer nipple.
The more major issue he has been dealing with has to do with allergies. Like his father and grandfather before him, Ninja has very sensitive skin and a sensitive system. It seems as if he is allergic to everything. They placed him on a none cotton blanket for a short time last week and he broke out in a rash. Aztek's mother has told me about having to let Aztek's cloth diapers air dry because for some reason drying them in the dryer caused them to give him a rash.
So far all of the issues that Ninja has had will most likely disappear as he gets older, or that is at least my hope. We continue to watch him as he ages, as do his doctors, for signs of other larger issues that may arise. He is a very lucky little boy in that he is not only surrounded by a loving family, but by a loving family of nurses. Ninja's mother, grandmother, aunt, and myself in training are all nurses who only want to see him happy and well. Sometimes love can be the most important part. Love makes everything easier, for with love comes support.
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