Nicole

On May 24, 1996 we were blessed with the birth of our second child, Nicole. She appeared to be completely healthy at birth and was a very happy and easy going baby.

It wasn’t until Nicole was 8 months old that we noticed she was no longer bearing weight on her legs and wasn’t interested in crawling. Her pediatrician wanted to wait another month to see how she was doing, but we knew something was wrong and didn’t want to wait. We took her to a Neurologist and within days, she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Type II.

Our whole world was turned upside down. Nicole has been through more in her short life than most adults. She has been in and out of the hospital with numerous pneumonias and has been through spinal fusion surgery. Even when she is in the hospital, she is such a trooper. She charms all of the nurses and warms the hearts of everyone she meets.

She has taught us so much about life and what is important, much more than we could have ever learned without her. She is so thankful for the little things in life that so many of us take for granted. Nicole loves animals, especially panda bears. We have two dogs and when she grows up she wants to open a pet store or shelter for animals.

Nicole has an older sister named Paige and a younger brother, Mark. They are both great kids and help Nicole whenever she needs assistance.

Nicole has fought many battles but unfortunately she has more ahead.

Our family has joined forces with Families of SMA to find a cure for SMA.