A Mother's Journey
My heartfelt book, Losing Alex, which I wrote after the loss of my first baby, Alex, who was stillborn at full term, is now officially an AudioBook and I couldn't be more proud and humbled by the amazing voice of Marsha Waterbury, for lending her talents for my story.
My son Nicky was diagnosed with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) 12 hours after his birth, a month later we received the official diagnosis of “Recessive Dystrophic”. Here are my top 6 things to know about Epidermolysis Bullosa. 1. Epidermolysis Bullosa is a genetic skin disorder. Epidermolysis Bullosa it’s an umbrella term...
“I have never had a day with no pain and it is almost torture to watch people do things that I know I can’t.” ~Sohana Collins (https://www.cure-eb.org/) This sweet and heartbreaking quote from a girl with EB touched me more than words can say. After I retweeted it, I asked...
Worry seems to be a mantra for EB moms. We worry. Our heart sinks with every new passing. Myself, I try to cherish every day and not think about the future, it is unknown after all. Thinking positive is hard, but I do try. I keep telling myself: Nicky will...
We hurt to depths that boggle the mind, but we know joy that others will never understand. At the beginning of our journey, we may not think we can do this, we may think we’re not good enough, not patient enough, not selfless enough, but we become the parent our...
Having hope sometimes is a gigantic challenge. A challenge so unsourmantable that it leaves you in tears and gives you sleepless nights. You cry. You scream. You fall asleep in tears. But then you wake up, dust yourself off and move forward, one day at a time. One hour at...
Sometimes, when I sit down and think about it, I forget that the kind of stuff we deal with on a daily basis isn’t normal for most people. I forget, because after 20 years, they are normal for us, and even though I have a healthy child to remind me...
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Rare Disease Day in February 28th this year! Nicky was featured on the Global Genes website back in 2014. As always, we are very open to share our story to gain awareness about Epidermolysis Bullosa. I can’t speak for other parents of kids with EB,...
A lot of times, when seeing articles posted about children with EB, we see these sorts of titles: Girl can’t hug parents because rare skin condition causes her to blister when touched Video: Mom Can’t Hug Baby Little Boy Blisters When He’s Touched Due to Rare Disorder Adorable five-year-old girl...
As I was changing Nicky’s bandages last night I noticed how much better his wound mass is compared to just a few years ago. The cream (from the Stanford trial) and other things I’ve been adding to the various previous creams I used for the past few years have...
Nicky was born on November 25th, 1996 and was diagnosed with Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa (RDEB). EB is a rare genetic skin disorder, his body does not produce a vital protein that glues the layers of his skin together, hence the slightest friction causes painful blisters and wounds. His body...
This was an important week for Epidermolysis Bullosa Awareness. An article about a boy in Germany that was treated with skin grafts from Dr. De Luca in Italy is making the rounds around the world. (Here’s the link for the CNN article). The original research article that was published on...
Several years ago I happened upon a reply to a post about a child with severe RDEB in a special need parenting forum and one of the commenters stated that they should just “kill him”. That comment got a lot of likes and it got me very, VERY, VERY upset....
It was a cold, rainy, foggy day when we left San Francisco this past February at the end of the shoot for Nicky’s documentary. We arrived home just before midnight, exhausted but happy. Nicky then slept for over 12 hours, as he often does. I was contacted by Barcroft TV...
The other night I was changing the bandages of Nicky’s lower back and to my dismay, in the attempt of healing the area, the opposite happened. It’s now worse than it’s ever been. The whole area is a BIG open wound. Ugh. It’s always a shock to me that I...
