Hello Miggy!
My name is Brooke Davis and I am very excited to share our story on your blog! My husband’s name is James but I call him Jim. He is my best friend,
college sweetheart, and all around amazing guy. We have been together for 12
years and married for almost 8. Three years ago we decided to start a
family. And like many other couples it did not happen right
away. But, I am happy to say that on April 12th, 2012 we were blessed to
welcomed our first baby, a son we named Jameson Cruz. Jameson was born a
bilateral trans radial congenital amputee. This means he was born missing both
of his lower arms and hands. Because his anomaly is strictly isolated to
his arms, doctors do not believe that it was caused by any known
disease or syndrome. We have sought out answers from the experts who
research skeletal dysplasia (developmental bone and cartilage disorders) at
Cedars Sinai in L.A. and even they have no understanding to why he
was born this way. In fact, they told us that we may never know. It
is hard not knowing why this happened but we are so very thankful that he is
and continues to be a happy, healthy little boy!!!
My name is Brooke Davis and I am very excited to share our story on your blog! My husband’s name is James but I call him Jim. He is my best friend,
college sweetheart, and all around amazing guy. We have been together for 12
years and married for almost 8. Three years ago we decided to start a
family. And like many other couples it did not happen right
away. But, I am happy to say that on April 12th, 2012 we were blessed to
welcomed our first baby, a son we named Jameson Cruz. Jameson was born a
bilateral trans radial congenital amputee. This means he was born missing both
of his lower arms and hands. Because his anomaly is strictly isolated to
his arms, doctors do not believe that it was caused by any known
disease or syndrome. We have sought out answers from the experts who
research skeletal dysplasia (developmental bone and cartilage disorders) at
Cedars Sinai in L.A. and even they have no understanding to why he
was born this way. In fact, they told us that we may never know. It
is hard not knowing why this happened but we are so very thankful that he is
and continues to be a happy, healthy little boy!!!
***************
Miggy: Hi Brooke! So exciting to be
interviewing another limb differences mom! So lets start at the
beginning… can you take me back to the day you found out about Jameson’s
arms? Do you remember how you felt? Can you compare those
first thoughts and feelings with how you feel now?
interviewing another limb differences mom! So lets start at the
beginning… can you take me back to the day you found out about Jameson’s
arms? Do you remember how you felt? Can you compare those
first thoughts and feelings with how you feel now?
Brooke: Well, I was
informed at my 20-week ultrasound that something may possibly be wrong with my
baby’s arms. That is what the ultrasound tech said to me after scanning my
belly for 2 hours. The worst part was that she did not say anything else except
that I would be contacted by my Doctor. I
begged for more information, but she just left it at that. Did he have arms at all? So many questions ran through my mind. I felt sick and was completely shocked. I had watched the entire thing and the baby
looked perfect. I saw him yawn, his
heart beating strong, and he had such a cute little profile. That was also the day I found out he was a
boy. I was instantly in love with my
little man! So when she threw the last
part at me, I just couldn’t understand what she was talking about. I was in
shock but I do remember wondering where his little hands were. It wasn’t until a week later at another
appointment that I actually found out what they had found. By far one of the hardest weeks of my life. Not knowing what was wrong with my child was
absolute torture. I prayed that it was
all a misunderstanding and that the ultrasound machine just couldn’t see his
little arms because he had them tucked in a funny position. My appointment
finally came, I had been sent to a Genetics Counselor and Maternal Fetal
Medicine Specialist. There, I finally
heard the details of the ultrasound. They
confirmed that Jameson had full humorous bones but the rest of both of his arms
had stopped growing or something had restricted their growth. I was extremely upset, and couldn’t fathom how
this happened. What did I do wrong? I did not even drink coffee. That day was
awful and on top of it all they offered to terminate him.
informed at my 20-week ultrasound that something may possibly be wrong with my
baby’s arms. That is what the ultrasound tech said to me after scanning my
belly for 2 hours. The worst part was that she did not say anything else except
that I would be contacted by my Doctor. I
begged for more information, but she just left it at that. Did he have arms at all? So many questions ran through my mind. I felt sick and was completely shocked. I had watched the entire thing and the baby
looked perfect. I saw him yawn, his
heart beating strong, and he had such a cute little profile. That was also the day I found out he was a
boy. I was instantly in love with my
little man! So when she threw the last
part at me, I just couldn’t understand what she was talking about. I was in
shock but I do remember wondering where his little hands were. It wasn’t until a week later at another
appointment that I actually found out what they had found. By far one of the hardest weeks of my life. Not knowing what was wrong with my child was
absolute torture. I prayed that it was
all a misunderstanding and that the ultrasound machine just couldn’t see his
little arms because he had them tucked in a funny position. My appointment
finally came, I had been sent to a Genetics Counselor and Maternal Fetal
Medicine Specialist. There, I finally
heard the details of the ultrasound. They
confirmed that Jameson had full humorous bones but the rest of both of his arms
had stopped growing or something had restricted their growth. I was extremely upset, and couldn’t fathom how
this happened. What did I do wrong? I did not even drink coffee. That day was
awful and on top of it all they offered to terminate him.
That was almost a year and a half ago and today Jameson is
healthy, happy and thriving at 11 months old! The way I feel now doesn’t even compare to
when I first found out about his special needs. I was scared, unsure, and sad. Despite
challenges we have had and will face, I am now completely confidant, happy, and
excited about the amazing things ahead. Jameson
is going to go on and do great things even though he may have to take a little
bit of a different path!
healthy, happy and thriving at 11 months old! The way I feel now doesn’t even compare to
when I first found out about his special needs. I was scared, unsure, and sad. Despite
challenges we have had and will face, I am now completely confidant, happy, and
excited about the amazing things ahead. Jameson
is going to go on and do great things even though he may have to take a little
bit of a different path!
Miggy: I know a little bit about limb differences,
but I also know not all limb differences are created equal, so to speak.
Explain how Jameson’s differences affect your day-to-day
life?
but I also know not all limb differences are created equal, so to speak.
Explain how Jameson’s differences affect your day-to-day
life?
Brooke: Jameson’s
differences affect our day-to-day life very little. The only thing other parents don’t do on a
daily basis that we do is that we put his “arms” on and we take them
off. To us that is normal! We treat him just like any loving parents
would treat their baby, with love and affection. We love him unconditionally and just want to
see him succeed! So that is why we chose
to fit him with prosthesis at an early age. My husband Jim and I fully believe in giving
Jameson every option available to him. With
today’s technology the sky is the limit. At 11 months we have already seen him excel
using both his God given arms and his prosthesis!
differences affect our day-to-day life very little. The only thing other parents don’t do on a
daily basis that we do is that we put his “arms” on and we take them
off. To us that is normal! We treat him just like any loving parents
would treat their baby, with love and affection. We love him unconditionally and just want to
see him succeed! So that is why we chose
to fit him with prosthesis at an early age. My husband Jim and I fully believe in giving
Jameson every option available to him. With
today’s technology the sky is the limit. At 11 months we have already seen him excel
using both his God given arms and his prosthesis!
Miggy: What are the biggest worries you have for
Jameson?
Jameson?
Brooke: My biggest
worries for Jameson are probably going to be the big challenges he may run into
because of his lack of hands. As a baby
we pretty much do everything for him. Down
the road there will be a time when he will have major obstacles taking care of
his hygiene needs,tasks that require very fine motor skills just to name a few.
But with the help of his prosthesis,
those obstacles will eventually be minimal. I do also worry about what other people might
say to him. Words can be harsh and very
cruel. Jameson will probably deal with
that situation better than I will. As
his mommy I never want Jameson to feel bad about himself, I want to be able to
ALWAYS protect him. I know that won’t be
possible, but I will still try and worry.
worries for Jameson are probably going to be the big challenges he may run into
because of his lack of hands. As a baby
we pretty much do everything for him. Down
the road there will be a time when he will have major obstacles taking care of
his hygiene needs,tasks that require very fine motor skills just to name a few.
But with the help of his prosthesis,
those obstacles will eventually be minimal. I do also worry about what other people might
say to him. Words can be harsh and very
cruel. Jameson will probably deal with
that situation better than I will. As
his mommy I never want Jameson to feel bad about himself, I want to be able to
ALWAYS protect him. I know that won’t be
possible, but I will still try and worry.
Miggy: Now for a lighter question, have you ever had
any funny conversations/moments you never imagined due to your special needs
situations?
any funny conversations/moments you never imagined due to your special needs
situations?
Brooke: Oh yeah, we had
recently been playing with Jameson while he had his prosthesis on and
apparently his dad tweaked the elbow just a bit too hard and broke the forearm
right off. Later that day my husband was
at work telling a fellow employee that earlier today he had broken his sons arm
off but it was no big deal because we just had to overnight it via UPS and it
would fixed. Someone else overheard the
conversation that did know about Jameson’s prosthesis and nearly fainted. “How can you be so calm about breaking
your child’s arm off and why are you putting it in the mail?” Jim got a
kick out of that. I wish I had been
there to see the look of horror in that lady’s face!
recently been playing with Jameson while he had his prosthesis on and
apparently his dad tweaked the elbow just a bit too hard and broke the forearm
right off. Later that day my husband was
at work telling a fellow employee that earlier today he had broken his sons arm
off but it was no big deal because we just had to overnight it via UPS and it
would fixed. Someone else overheard the
conversation that did know about Jameson’s prosthesis and nearly fainted. “How can you be so calm about breaking
your child’s arm off and why are you putting it in the mail?” Jim got a
kick out of that. I wish I had been
there to see the look of horror in that lady’s face!
Miggy: How can people best approach or respond to
Jameson? Is there something you wish other people knew so as to avoid awkward
or hurtful situations?
Jameson? Is there something you wish other people knew so as to avoid awkward
or hurtful situations?
Brooke: Well, I haven’t
really run into any an awkward approach or response yet, thankfully! People have been great, typically most of the
time they just say hello and ask how old he is? Which is perfect! I don’t think people notice his arms right
away, and if they do they kinda take a double take and go on like normal. In the future I suppose people will be more
curious and it would be nice if their questions were positive in nature. We don’t mind if anyone asks about Jameson as
long as it is not hurtful!
really run into any an awkward approach or response yet, thankfully! People have been great, typically most of the
time they just say hello and ask how old he is? Which is perfect! I don’t think people notice his arms right
away, and if they do they kinda take a double take and go on like normal. In the future I suppose people will be more
curious and it would be nice if their questions were positive in nature. We don’t mind if anyone asks about Jameson as
long as it is not hurtful!
Miggy: Now, I think I’ve seen you guys on a few news
shows lately… how exciting! It’s always great to see children like
Jameson featured and to help spread awareness. Why and how did this come
about?
shows lately… how exciting! It’s always great to see children like
Jameson featured and to help spread awareness. Why and how did this come
about?
Brooke: Yes! We have been on T.V. a few times! Exciting stuff, but really we were never
actually seeking media attention. It
kinda happened by accident. An
acquaintance of my husband’s emailed our local ABC news station to tell them
about a small fund raiser we were doing to help raise money for Jameson’s first
set of prosthesis which cost about$25,000. A great deal of money that we did not have. The reporter who received the email fell in
love with Jameson and our story. So she
came out to the fund raiser and that night we were on the 5:00 news. We had no idea anyone had contacted her or
that she was going to interview us. It
was a surprise for sure and after our interview aired, the people of our
community apparently fell in love with him too! My blog gained many followers and word spread
through Facebook as well. After we were
able to raise enough funds, we received his first pair of prosthesis. That sparked a follow up story on several news
stations and the ABC network picked up our story at the national level. After that we ended up on ABCnews.com out of
New York! The whole U.S. had access to
our story! It was really crazy how it
just exploded! Then shortly thereafter
the daytime talk show “The Doctors” called to say they would love to
have us on their show for the episode “Medical Mind sets That Change
Lives.” Off we flew to Hollywood and
went on that show! Its been kinda of
surreal but all of the attention has been very positive and a great experience!
But by far, the best part has been how
we have touched so many peoples lives and have been an inspiration to other
families with special needs kids!! (I asked Brooke to send me the links to the news stories and programs they’ve been on lately!):
actually seeking media attention. It
kinda happened by accident. An
acquaintance of my husband’s emailed our local ABC news station to tell them
about a small fund raiser we were doing to help raise money for Jameson’s first
set of prosthesis which cost about$25,000. A great deal of money that we did not have. The reporter who received the email fell in
love with Jameson and our story. So she
came out to the fund raiser and that night we were on the 5:00 news. We had no idea anyone had contacted her or
that she was going to interview us. It
was a surprise for sure and after our interview aired, the people of our
community apparently fell in love with him too! My blog gained many followers and word spread
through Facebook as well. After we were
able to raise enough funds, we received his first pair of prosthesis. That sparked a follow up story on several news
stations and the ABC network picked up our story at the national level. After that we ended up on ABCnews.com out of
New York! The whole U.S. had access to
our story! It was really crazy how it
just exploded! Then shortly thereafter
the daytime talk show “The Doctors” called to say they would love to
have us on their show for the episode “Medical Mind sets That Change
Lives.” Off we flew to Hollywood and
went on that show! Its been kinda of
surreal but all of the attention has been very positive and a great experience!
But by far, the best part has been how
we have touched so many peoples lives and have been an inspiration to other
families with special needs kids!! (I asked Brooke to send me the links to the news stories and programs they’ve been on lately!):
Miggy: What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned
since becoming a special needs mom?
since becoming a special needs mom?
Brooke: I have learned
that it is ok to have a child with special needs! That life is beautiful no matter what road you
take or what path you have to choose. And
I have also realized that when I see my child struggle to do just a simple
task, it is important to never take anything for granted.
that it is ok to have a child with special needs! That life is beautiful no matter what road you
take or what path you have to choose. And
I have also realized that when I see my child struggle to do just a simple
task, it is important to never take anything for granted.
***************
Thank you so much Brooke! So fun to have another limb-differences mama. I have to say I really relate with so much you said–I know not everyone would put a prosthetic on an 8 month old baby, but we too wanted to give our Lamp the opportunity to choose for herself later on…and that means that as a parent you have to start now, to help their body and brain adapt to it or they definitely won’t use them. And I just about died laughing about your husbands story of breaking Jameson’s arm and UPS-ing it to get fixed. A lot of our funniest moments center around our daughter’s prosthetic arm. That Jameson is a cutie and he’s going to continue to amaze us all! Thanks Brooke.
If you or someone you know would like to be a part of the special needs spotlight series please email me, or have them email me directly at thislittlemiggy at gmail dot com. And if you’ve emailed me recently please be patient! I’m getting there!
Have a great weekend!
What an adorable little guy! Love the video of him crawling on the doctors clip. My baby boy was born missing one arm, below the elbow and these spotlights help keep things in perspective for me. It's an amazing what a positive attitude can do, and it's awesome that you guys have that. What a blessing Jameson has you for parents!
Do you have a link to this family's blog? Maybe I overlooked it? Keep up with the Special Needs Spotlight, I so look forward to it every Friday!
he is the cutest blue eyed baby I have seen…I wish him the best in his life and he lucky to have them as his parents.
This is Brooke Davis! Miggy,Thank you so much for doing this spotlight! Here is the link to my blog if anyone would like to join in on Jameson's journey!http://davisday2day.wordpress.com/
isn't that photo of J with his mum holding him on her shoulder precious? what a cutie.
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