Emily Leann Blaise's page

Please be patient - it might take awhile for the pictures load.

The left photo above is me (Emily) with my grandmother, Eloida (Lee) Morris, 

during the summer of 2000.

Here is my story:

I was born on July 20, 1998.  Before I was born, my mother, Susan Blaise, had an amniocentesis done and the doctor said I had something called Trisomy 18.  My mother was very sad.  She was told that babies with this condition usually do not live and if they do live, they will be severely mentally and physically retarded.  My mom was told that she had the choice to not have the pregnancy.  My mom never once considered not having me because she knew God had sent me.

Before I tell you about where I was born, let me tell you a little bit about Trisomy 18:  A syndrome is a collection of signs and symptoms that together form an identifiable inherited abnormality.  Trisomy 18 is a syndrome caused by an extra 18th chromosome. It is also called Edward's Syndrome, after Dr. John Edwards, who first identified the extra chromosome and published a report describing Trisomy 18 in 1960.

Because of my condition I cannot walk or talk and I am fed with a tube into my stomach.  Although I can't talk, I do like to sing and can hold a note for a very long time!

Note from dad: actually Emily did take two steps forward one time. Mom and dad both were witnesses to what happened. She has not taken a step since then. She probably did not realize what had happened. So she has taken 2 steps by herself!

I was born at Texas Children's Hospital on June 20, 1998 - by a C-section.  My dad was in the operating room, giving my mom support and also was there to baptize me if I wasn't going to live.

I recently received a wheelchair courtesy of nice family that had one to donate to me.  I will be going to school this fall!  Maybe I will even take some more steps on my own!

I'm going to write more on this page when I have time (actually when dad has the time) so until then I wish you the best.