Miranda Smith on Chronic Illness

Janiyah was my biggest baby that I gave birth to and now she is my smallest child right now. Ever since she was 2 months old she would get bronchiolitis. She would get it once a month up until she was about 8 months old. Then two months later she got walking pneumonia for the first time that took three rounds of antibiotics to clear up. When Janiyah turned 5 months old, she was hospitalized for the first time for five days because she got the flu and got severe bronchiolitis as a result. Now she only weighs 18lbs 9.5 oz at the age of almost 14 months. We are going through testing trying to figure out what is keeping her from growing on top of why she is getting so many lung infections. As a result of her health, I cannot work. This puts a huge damper on our finances, but if she goes into daycare, it could give her a serious lung infection that in turn could kill her. People don’t understand that she is as sick as she is because she is not sitting in a hospital 24/7. A child does not have to be constantly in a hospital to be considered a special needs child who gets chronically ill. It can be frustrating as a mother watching your child suffer time and time again because she keeps getting sick. I am praying that they can figure out what is causing all of this to be able to help her better