Before the little bundle of joy growing in mom’s belly is finally ready to meet, all parents must endure an exciting nine-month wait. When the baby is born and you hear him or her cry for the first time, there is simply no better feeling in the world. But for some parents, the arrival of a child can become something they never anticipated. Mary and Brad Kish, originally from Illinois, USA, patiently awaited the arrival of their daughter in the late 1990s. Mary’s pregnancy was uneventful and the birth was uneventful. Throughout Michelle’s birth, there were no signs that anything was wrong with her. But as soon as she opened her eyes, healthcare professionals realized something was wrong.
Until they did extensive research in the medical literature and spoke with a geneticist at another hospital, they had no idea what it was. Michelle had a wide, innocent face. She also had thinning hair and a nose that looked almost like a small beak. She was discovered to have Hallermann-Streiff syndrome, a genetic disorder so rare there are only 250 confirmed cases worldwide. “No one had ever seen her in person at Children’s Memorial Hospital, where Michelle was born. When the doctor diagnosed us with Hallermann-Streiff Syndrome, my heart sank. I wondered how were we going to take care of her our child who suffered from a rare genetic disease that affects one in five million people,” explained Michelle’s mother. The disease is characterized by 28 different symptoms, and Michelle suffers from 26.
The disease affects only one in five million people but unfortunately causes many health problems. In addition to Hallermann-Streiff syndrome, Michelle also suffers from a form of dwarfism which means that she is barely above her sister’s height, even though there is only a two-year difference between them. . Michelle’s condition means she needs a lot of help and assistance – such as an electric wheelchair, a hearing aid, a feeding tube, a respirator and visual aids. The syndrome also required Michelle and her family to spend a lot of time in the hospital. She is often mistaken for a child because of her appearance, even though she is now 25. “Now Michelle is a 20-year-old woman, she’s smart as a poodle, and she’s happier than ever. She’s one of the happiest 20-year-olds I know,” mom Mary said in 2018. She continued: “She lights up people’s lives with their joy.
She knows she’s different but doesn’t let it get her down. » Despite the fact that Michelle has had to fight against headwinds, she is an incredible and exceptional young woman. She has many dreams, including acquiring a boyfriend and following in her older sister’s footsteps. Since almost everyone is taller than her, she doesn’t mind his height, but she wishes he had long hair. She also aspires to become a physician. Watch the video below to meet Michelle, I really admire her personality!
