Cece knows love, she cares when someone is sad, and she will burst out laughing for no reason. She is just a blessing to our family.

Cecilia was born at 36 weeks. She was my fourth pregnancy and fourth C-Section. At my twenty week scan I was told Cecilia would need treatment for the rest of her life .I didn’t think anything of it. I just figured that she must have asthma like me. I didn’t care; I just couldn’t wait for her to arrive.

She ended up in the NICU for forty-five days, intubated for one week, and CPAP for a couple of days. I still didn’t think much of it.

Then, when doctors said her diagnosis and that she wouldn’t survive three weeks, that’s when the devastation hit. I screamed, I cried. I was in the bathroom in the hospital at the time, so I kicked everything in sight. I was told she had a small VSD, seizures, 2 cysts on her left kidney, missing her right ear and asthma.

With every passing day Cece showed differently. I saw that my baby girl was fine. She was alert, loved to be held, she was good. Cece continued to show everyone who’s the boss. Cecilia gets home schooled and is very smart. She uses communication devices which help her to learn words that are recorded. Cece is very determined, silly, affectionate, smart, verbal and just a happy little girl. She loves attention, music, dancing and books. She enjoys swings, bumper cars and movies (scary ones.) Cece knows love, she cares when someone is sad, and she will burst out laughing for no reason. She is just a blessing to our family.

By Chantel Vasquez, Cece’s mom