Lillian, A Story of Thriving

Brandy was in shock when she was told at 20 weeks pregnant that her daughter had a 98% chance of being born with Down syndrome. At 25-years-old and with no family history, Brandy had no idea what to expect. And while Lillian was the surprise of her life, born early at 35 weeks through an emergency c-section, she is pure delight bringing a ray of sunshine everywhere she goes.

Now almost two years later, Brandy reflects on those early days of visiting Lillian in the NICU, where she stayed for just over a month, and the first weeks at home where she was on oxygen and fed through a NG tube.

“I remember feeling so overwhelmed at first,” Brandy said. “I was scared to take Lillian out of the house while she was on oxygen, but our occupational therapist Mackenzie helped me so much.”

Twice per month, Lillian receives occupational and speech therapies at home through the NICU to Home Program and Early Intervention Programs through Children’s Village.

“Lillian loves Mackenzie - she is always so happy to see her,” Brandy said. “She works on fine motor skills and feeding therapy with Lillian, but she’s also so supportive and understanding of me, always answering questions I might have.”

Lillian continues to thrive at home. As she rounds the corner toward her second birthday with a much anticipated cow-themed party, she is walking and learning sign language through the therapies. Therapies will continue, but to Lillian, it’s just fun playtime with some of her favorite people.