Hi, my name is Kim. Our little angel MaKenna was born on Sept. 23,99. At about 15 weeks gestation, my doctor called me to schedule an ultrasound because my blood work came back abnormal. After about 30min of scanning the baby, the doctor came in the exam room to talk with my husband and I. The doctor told us he had found what appeared to be a cyst in the baby's brain. He wasn't positive so he sent us to see a paranatalogist who did further scans. After the first scan with the paranatalogist, which seem to last for hours, we were taken into a room with three doctors. What they were about to tell us has changed my husband and I's lives forever.

The dr. told us that there was indeed a cyst in the left rear hemisphere of our baby's brain. At this time we were told it was a porencephalic cyst, and that the baby would most likely not make it to term and that if by some miracle the baby did he/she would only live for two hours. We were devasted to say the least. All our dreams seem to come to a halt as the nurse told us we would need to decide on whether or not to abort. At that moment, I looked up and said I wouldn't even consider such a thing. They wanted us to think about it, but it wasn't an option in my mind. I just prayed day in and day out that God would heal this child that He had blessed my husband and I with. God said, "No, but I will make this child a blessing to everyone." I remember telling God that if my baby made it that I would let everyone I knew that MaKenna is a miracle baby sent by God.

My pregnancy continued and after an auto accident in my eighth month, MaKenna was born at 36 weeks. Besides a large head, caused by hydrocephalus from the cyst, she was just fine. Nothing other than the primary diagnoses ever showed on the tests. She received a VP shunt at three days old and went home at two weeks old.

MaKenna has been the biggest blessing in our family. The first eight months at home were difficult, because MaKenna always seemed tired or sick. She was drugged up with pheno for seizures and immune system seemed week. However, nothing could of been worse than the week after MaKenna's MRI.

We made an appointment with MaKenna's neurologist to have her MRI read. We were looking for the answer to what had caused the cyst in her brain. We indeed got our answer. MaKenna had had a stroke in utero and not only did it create a cyst, but she was also diagnosed with having lobar hpe. Her neuroligist said that the hpe was it bad but not the mildest either. He did give us some hope for MaKenna to progress.

Today, MaKenna is 16 months old and doing great. She still has seizures but are controlled and she's also visually impaired. MaKenna loves playing on the floor and sucking on her fingers, banging on toys, and trying really hard to roll over. She is all smiles and we are praying for God's continuing work in her life. I'd love to hear from anyone else with this disorder. Anyone have the same disorders?