Meet Jane

Jane is a 7-year-old girl with cerebellar hypoplasia, a symptom resulting from congenital chickenpox. Follow her path here, and find ways to support her special needs. Check out the gallery for updates on the support received.

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Jane's month

About

She was kept in intensive care for several days due to cardiovascular complications and feeding difficulties due to GRD (gastroesophageal reflux disease).

After 3 weeks she managed to get out. With the prognosis that she would continue to have reflux and an increase in the cyst in her heart. She exceeded doctors' expectations about reflux and has been able to thrive despite those complications.

After one year, she began to have a curvature in her spine. A diagnosis of lumbar scoliosis was confirmed by x-ray. It could cause breathing difficulties and cannot be resolved surgically due to Jane's size.

Jane is a strong girl with many potentials. She joined the Nuevo Amanecer Institute as a student in December 2023, where doctors have looked for ways to resolve some complications.

Jane with her teacher at the Nuevo Amanecer Christmas Festival.

Jane lives with two older siblings and her mom, who is her primary caregiver in addition to providing basic needs such as diapers, special foods, and nasal suction medications. We don't know how much time we have available with Jane but in every moment of her life, she deserves love and everything she needs.

Jane was born a preemie at 28 weeks on May 12, 2016 due to complications from chickenpox.

During her first months, her development was delayed. She began forming sounds, and within a year she could crawl and sit up. However, she did not continue to stand, walk, or talk. She also maintained a small body size for her age. The doctors could not give a diagnosis.

Jane at 5 with her walker.

At age 5, she was also diagnosed with microcephaly and infantile cerebral palsy. It was not until age 7 that she was diagnosed more specifically with cerebellar hypoplasia, in addition to microcephaly and scoliosis. This is explained by a retention in the development of the cerebellum and a smaller size of the brain stem, results of the chickenpox infection in pregnancy (Congenital Varicella Syndrome).

She is in a critical situation, where if no intervention is done, due to the progress of the scoliosis, she will have a hip dislocation and vital organs may begin to fail. She needs support such as personalized seats (molded and modular), due to the long periods she remains seated.