I'm a Doll

My mommy took me everywhere she went. People said I was the prettiest little doll. I had a pretty face but most people did not realize I was kind of like a rag doll due to my low muscle tone. My extra chromosome causes me to have hypotonia. It makes me have little control over my muscles. My neck muscle was weak so my head would easily flop without support. When I was held, I was limp as though I could easily slip through your hands.

Despite these physical challenges, I learned so much in my early years. From the time I was little, my mom enrolled me in specialized early intervention programs designed to help children with developmental delays. I worked with physical therapists who gently helped me strengthen my muscles, even though the hypotonia made progress slower than for other kids. Speech therapists also became a big part of my life, teaching me to communicate in ways that worked best for me. I might have taken longer to reach my milestones, but every small achievement felt like a big victory for both me and my family.