Turner Syndrome Awareness Month!

Happy February guys! I can't believe it's already February, I feel like it was just Christmas! Regardless of how I may feel, it is getting closer and closer to spring which is beyond exciting. This month has a lot of fun things going on, the first being that it is Turner Syndrome Awareness Month. I bet a lot of you are reading this wondering what the heck that is. So Turner Syndrome is a chromosomal conditions and it effects the development of females. Brooke was diagnosed with this when she was two years old after two years of fighting with doctors about why my kid was so tiny and trying to prove to them it wasn't neglect. I'm not going to lie my knowledge of Turner Syndrome was slim to none, I have a friend who has it but she never talks about it so I knew what it was but not what it caused if that makes any sense. Turner Syndrome can cause a lot of different issues some of them being a higher risk for diabetes, trouble with math(I don't pretend to understand that), heart defects, and kidney problems. Those are some of the very long list of issues you can have, I chose to specifically focus of the ones that Brooke actually has. Because of the complex issues that it can cause it's hard to explain exactly what it is, but one of the ways Brooke sums it up is"It makes me short". Yup, this lovely syndrome is to thank for her height(although mom and dad didn't help at all by being short). She has been on growth hormones since being diagnosed, but we recently stopped until we can figure out how to balance both diabetes care and the injections. It's not a huge deal for me if she's tall so I'd rather focus on her diabetes at this time. The other major thing that happens to almost all girls with Turner Syndrome is their inability to sexually develop properly. This means she will not go through the typical changes girls go through with puberty which is sad and kind of exciting. She will never be able to biologically have a child, but I'm hoping that she is learning through her family that DNA doesn't make a family and there are other options to having children-if she wants kids that is. I'm not going to lie, I cried when we got this diagnosis. It's scary anytime your kid gets sick, but to be told this is a life long issue that will change her life in many ways it was so beyond scary. I am very glad now that we got the diagnosis and we are able to help her in anyway she needs. As she gets older I know it will become more challenging for her to deal with these things and I'm glad we're able to tackle them now. Through out this month I will be sharing some of our journey with Turner Syndrome and I hope you guys are as supportive as you always are.