My Name...

Hi, my name is Melissa and i am 20 years old and live in the middle of the United States, Iowa. I have grown up here for most of my life, I was born here but shortly after moved to Texas and then moved back. The day that i was born however im sure my parents were surprised, you see i wasn't the normal or perfect baby they were hoping for. As i was being delivered the Dr. realized something wasn't right. Only after i was completely delivered did everybody get the full effect of what was wrong. My dad says that my skin was gray, i had no shoulders and i couldn't move my arms. Right after i was born i was taken to i assume the NICU. (Newborn Intensive Care Unit) When the Dr. had taken a better look at me he told my parents that i had Policemans Tip. They didn't know much more than this. Later when they took me to Iowa City the Dr. said I had Arthrogryposis. (Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita is a condition that causes many joints to be stiff and crooked at birth. A newborn with Arthrogryposis lacks the normal range of motion in one or more joints. A joint that lacks normal range of motion is called a joint contracture. These joint contractures develop before birth (prenatally) and are evident at birth (congenitally). Arthro means joint, Gryposis means crooked, multiplex means multiple and congenita means existing at birth or present at birth. Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita is an umbrella and descriptive diagnosis. This means Arthrogryposis can be caused by an underlying condition or syndrome. This underlying condition is usually the type of Arthrogryposis.) At the time i was born 1/3000 babies born had this condition, now its a bit less because if they catch it they can normally fix it before the baby is born. I on the other hand required surgery and lots of physical therapy. As i have grown up people have always asked me questions about my condition, i have written stories and done projects about what its like to have Arthrogryposis and it seems to help people understand better about the different things i have to do to live. So for those of you that are to shy to ask i am going to try and cover everything...and if i dont cover something you have a question about, leave a comment or message me your question on facebook. 


                                                             Secret.Writer