Voiceless Child.
Inspiring true story. The baby's chest heaved as she struggled to breathe. Airway scarring rendered spoken language impossible. Heather wasn't my child, but her distress tattered my heart. Fourteen months old, the little bundle lay swaddled in a blanket, forgotten and lost amongst unchanging hospital routines. Might we adopt her? Were the sorrowful medical prophecies true? Complications from a premature birth had scarred and blocked the baby's airway, so she had to breathe through a tracheotomy tube in her neck.
Chance meeting turned tragedy to miracle. We searched for a surgeon who could reconstruct the child's airway. Otherwise she would never speak, never swim. When I met her, she'd never been outside, never seen the sun, never seen the moon. She could not even move a finger. She'd always lived in a hospital on a breathing machine, fed by a tube in her tummy. No one dared dreamed she might survive and have a family of her own. Sometimes dreams come true, more fantastic than envisioned.
I am Ann Giganti, the author and Heather's adoptive mother. The story takes place in Florida with its beautiful beaches, reefs, and rocket launches. Enjoy reading about the poignant struggle to adopt the abandoned, ill child and to find miraculous voice-giving surgery. At the time, less than thirty surgeons in the world performed the airway reconstructive procedure. Thanks for Heather's voice goes to the newer subspecialty, pediatric otolaryngology. These ear, nose, and throat surgeons are dedicated to preserving a child's voice, airways, and hearing.
The Voiceless Child not only survives, she thrives. Little Heather is now grown-up and works as a pediatric intensive care nurse. Oh the places we did go, once Heather became healthy.
About the author, Ann Giganti:
An accomplished author, speaker, and nurse practitioner, Ann Giganti is certified in family practice and pediatrics, she has cared for more than 50,000 patients.
