Anthony Has Come a Long Way from His Journey at the NICU

Anthony was born at Borgess Hospital. The day after he was born, he was transferred to Bronson’s NICU on December 30.

Anthony has Down syndrome. This is a genetic condition where a person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of two. Anthony was born with an imperforate anus. This is when the opening to the anus is missing or blocked. It is common in babies born with Down syndrome. He had surgery the following January to correct the imperforate anus. Since one of the incisions opened up and had to be closed again, he stayed in the NICU for 1 month and 2 days.

Anthony has come a long way from his journey at the NICU. He is able to walk, run, jump and as he continues to grow, his bowel movement is normalizing. These accomplishments may seem normal but for him they are huge accomplishments that took him a lot of effort and time. He is a happy 3-year-old and goes to a Special Ed School. He loved riding the school bus and participating in class. Anthony also loves to explore everything, especially when he is outdoors. He is glad he can do things on his own. Having Down syndrome means there are more challenges to come. For now, we are happy he has surpassed his surgery, mobility and stomach issues. We never imagined that passing a stool would be such a celebration in our household!