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It’s been a while since we have updated Cassie’s page. She is just
finishing her second year of preschool and will be ready for
kindergarten next year. She has had 23 surgeries and it looks like
we will be doing at least one more this summer. She loves to play
and is learning how to write. She already knows how to spell her
name. Here are some new pictures so you can see how she is doing.
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Daddy and Cassie – Kent and Cassie
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Cassie at the cabin – Taken March 2010
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Mommy and the girls – Christine with Cassie and Natalie
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Ready to Jet Ski – Cassie, Natalie and big brother Dylan
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Mom (Christine) and Cassie getting ready for
church |
Daddy (Kent) & Cassie on Easter Sunday |
Hello! We are Kent and Christine Harper and we would like to
introduce you to our beautiful daughter Cassie. Cassie Renae Harper
was born on July 6, 2005. She was 10 weeks premature. We were
enjoying the 4th of July Weekend when Christine went into labor. She
was taken on Life Flight to St. Luke’s Hospital in Boise, Idaho. The
doctor’s said that they were going to try to keep Cassie “inside”
for another 2 weeks, but Cassie had different plans. She was born
the next day.
From the moment she was born we knew something was wrong. We knew
that she was going to be small but had no idea about her being born
with Apert Syndrome, let alone what that syndrome was. The doctor’s
told us that there was a problem with her head and that her fingers
and toes were fused. Then they whisked her away to the NICU. We were
left alone in the delivery room in shock and tears. The next day an
NICU doctor and nurse came into our hospital room with a packet of
information about Aperts. They told us that we should read-up on the
syndrome and that they would take good care of her.
We spent time with her everyday in the NICU and the doctors and
nurses were wonderful. Before we knew it Cassie had a neurosurgeon,
plastic surgeon, neurologist and about 3 or four other doctors. When
she was 20 days old she had her first surgery. Her neurosurgeon
placed a shunt in her head because of her hydrocephalus and the
sutures were cut in the front of her skull. This helped the shape of
her head tremendously. We finally got to take her home on September
7th, two days before Christine’s birthday.
One week later we were back in the hospital for a shunt revision
surgery, the first of many. She also had two shunt infections that
required the shunts to be completely removed to fight the
infections. From September to January of 2006 we were “regulars” at
the hospital. The nurses and doctors got to know us really well. We
also endured Cassie wearing a helmet to help shape her head.
As of May 2007, Cassie has had 12 surgeries. Most of them dealt with
her shunt, one to remove her adenoids and to put tubes in her ears,
and the most recent to start the separation of her fingers. The
doctors have been very pleased with her progress. She is scheduled
to have her first cranial surgery in September.
Cassie is just like a regular little girl and she has brought so
much joy into our lives. When she was born we questioned why God
would give us a child with so many “problems” and we complained
about how unfair it was. Looking back we now know that God knew we
needed her in our lives. She has taught us so much and we wouldn’t
change anything.
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Cassie in her little bed in the NICU |
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Getting some sleep before her first shunt revision |
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Playing tug-of-war with Daddy |
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| Cassie in her
helmet |
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| Cassie on her first birthday |
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