William W. - Quilt Finished in 2007

Born: March 8, 2005

Illness: Transvese Myelitis

William's Story

Written by William's mom Gena in 2007

When my son was born on March 8, 2005, it was a wonderful day.  He was healthy and strong and just looked beautiful.  When he was 5 months old, one day I noticed that his legs had become limp when changing his diaper.  We immediately took him to the ER and were told it was just a virus.  We saw his pediatrician the next day and were admitted into the hospital immediately.  He was diagnosed with Transverse Myelitis which is a virus that attacks the myelin sheath of the spinal cord which has caused him to be paralyzed from the waist down.  He must now be catheterized every two hours to make sure that his kidneys are functioning properly and we have physical and occupational therapy every week.  He is smart as a whip.  The only difference about him is that he rolls instead of walks.

We live every day minute to minute but enjoy every minute because our lives would not be complete without Will.