Carolyn W, age 3
Photograph by Evelyn Mcabee (2022)
Carolyn is a happy, sweet, and mischievous little girl who loves to be with people. She demonstrates perseverance and diligence in working towards the things she wants to do.
Carolyn loves doing things around the house, including chores. She loves to do anything with her siblings: reading books, playing videos, and being outdoors playing their version of tag. “She’s an active girl, says her mom, Ansley, “If she’s awake, she’s moving!”
Her parents are so proud of Carolyn for all of the “baby steps” she has been able to accomplish trying to roll, sit, walk, sign, and deal with the challenges presented by her airway. Carolyn has a diagnosis of Trisomy 9 mosaicism—a rare chromosomal disorder, in which the entire 9th chromosome appears three times rather than twice in some cells of the body.
Her mom, Ansley, says, “Carolyn is the hardest worker I know. She is so happy and joyful, and she spreads joy to everyone she meets. She teaches us what a gift everything is—she is my greatest hero!”
Carolyn es una niña feliz, dulce y traviesa a la que le encanta estar con la gente. Demuestra perseverancia y diligencia al trabajar por las cosas que quiere hacer.
A Carolyn le encanta hacer cosas en casa, incluidas las tareas. Le encanta hacer cualquier cosa con sus hermanos: leer libros, jugar a los vídeos y estar al aire libre jugando a su versión de la etiqueta. “Es una niña activa”, dice su madre, Ansley, “si está despierta, se mueve”.
Sus padres están muy orgullosos de Carolyn por todos los “pasos de bebé” que ha podido dar al tratar de rodar, sentarse, caminar, hacer señas y lidiar con los desafíos que presentan sus vías respiratorias. Carolyn tiene un diagnóstico de mosaicismo de la trisomía 9, un raro trastorno cromosómico en el que todo el cromosoma 9 aparece tres veces en lugar de dos en algunas células del cuerpo.
Su madre, Ansley, dice: “Carolyn es la más trabajadora que conozco. Es tan feliz y alegre, y contagia la alegría a todos los que conoce. Nos enseña que todo es un regalo: ¡es mi mayor héroe!”.
Family Connection of South Carolina provides services and resources to families who have a child with a disability or specialized healthcare need. Since 1990 we have served more than 100,000 families and today our services are needed more than ever. We focus on parent-to-parent support, guidance with navigating the complex healthcare system, and assistance with school meetings and special education plans.