At 20 weeks pregnant, Simon and Alyssa Anderson found out their daughter, Millie, had Spina Bifida. They made the decision to go to the Chicago Institute for Fetal Health, and pursue Fetal Surgery, performing in utero closure surgery on Millie’s Spine. The surgery was one of the scariest decisions to make, but Alyssa and Simon wanted to give their daughter the best possible chance at life. Millie came into the world at 33 weeks, and spent almost 7 weeks in the NICU. She was fondly known as the “the most fashionable baby in the NICU” where her bow and blanket collection was quite expansive. Millie was born with bilateral clubbed feet, hip dysplasia, enlarged ventricles and central apnea, which was corrected with oxygen for the first six months of her life. In the past 3.5 years, she has had three surgeries, over two hundred doctors appointments and close to 200 hundred sessions of therapy!
However, that doesn’t hold her back. Millie is the most joyous girl, who craves adventure. She loves all things pink, playing with her brother, ice cream with lots of whipped cream, and would eat soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner if she was allowed. Millie’s resilience and strength is something to marvel at. She wears AFO braces, goes to therapy twice per week, and uses mobility devices to help her move around. She doesn’t let anything stop her, and never takes no for an answer (even when the answer is actually no). Millie is the light of her family’s lives, and we are so thankful for the spunky and beautiful energy she brings everywhere she goes! This grant helped her to go to intensive therapy, and she is now able to use steps more safely, so she can continue to shine and improve her independence.