Pediatric Stander

We have borrowed a stander similar to this one from her physical therapist! Since noone was using it, they lent it to us. As soon as someone else comes on their case load that needs to try one. So we are hopeful noone else needs to try it, cause it has been amazing for Bella. She can be in an upright position and harnessed in so she is not compressing on her liver or cutting off her airway!! This allows her to use her neck and trunk muscles that she needs to strengthen so that she can someday sit up, stand and walk (we pray she will do these things).  Its absolutely astonishing to me the cost of devices like this! I'm in shock each and every time I see a piece of equiptment that is recomended or suggested by Dr.s and therapists. I mean this one is almost $4,000!!!!  My first and second car didnt even cost that much!!!  Then the fighting and waiting, fighting and waiting for MONTHS with the insurance company to get them to cover some of the cost is exhausting...

Bella in her Therapy Stander (we borrowed from her therapist)

Bella's Medical Condition

We adopted Isabella in January 2010.  We met her for the first time when she was 9 months old.  Prior to us coming into the picture is where I will start this post. 
Bella was born with cocaine, heroine, marijuana, 3 different antipsychotic meds and pain killers in her system and needed to be put on phentanyl and morphine for withdrawls.  She was also born with Gastroischisis (instestines were on the outside of her body).  Surgury was done immediately to put the intestines back in. During this surgery half of her inestines were so badly damaged they had to remove them completely. This caused a condition known as "short gut syndrome".  After her surgery she was unable to come off of the ventilator, she was unable to eat  and was kept sedated. She was ulitimatly sedated for 9 months!  The half of her instestines that was left in her belly had failed completely!  She NEEDS a transplant of the small bowel to survive.  She also has a Spinal cord injury that is so rare, none of the Neurologists at Childrens Hospital of PIttsburgh have ever seen anything like it.  The believe it was caused in utero (while still in her mothers stomach) by an assault. Furthur complicated by seizures she had in the womb from the drugs! 

First Picture of Isabella

This is the photo we saw on the adoption website of  Isabella, we knew nothing other than when we saw this picture we both KNEW it was "Our Daughter" we were looking at

Isabella and Mommy's First Kiss 11/15/09