REACH OUT TO HELP LITTLE ALLISON HILL
Two-Year-Old Battles Rare Affliction
By Mark Hallburn
Publisher
PutnamLIVE.com
Little Alison Hill smiles for the camera.
Her cute grin lights up the
room reflecting the two-year-old
Rock Branch girl's zest for life.
"Allie "touches" everyone she meets with her smile," says her father, Jeremy.
"She always puts a smile on my face," says Allie's uncle, Philip Bass. "If I am having a bad day I just go see her and I forget about my bad day."
And that's the way it should be.
However, beneath that incredible smile is a little girl that is battling a genetic affliction, Treacher Collins, that has scarred Alison's beautiful face, impaired her hearing, and leaves her battling to breathe every night.
That sleep apnea makes her breathing erratic and sometimes she doesn't breathe for 20-30 seconds at a time.
When Alison stops breathing, those are terrifying moments to her mother, Michelle. Doctors have tried giving little Allie a breathing machine, but the two-year-old wants nothing to do with wearing a mask to bed.
Now, doctors in Pittsburgh are planning to operate on Allie. So the family is traveling between the home of family members in Charleston and the Steel City, hoping the loving hands of surgeons can bring some relief to little Allie with what is called a jaw distraction.
"Waiting for the call is like torture," says Michelle. "The doctors have told us that she will have as many surgeries as necessary, but as little as possible," adds Jeremy.
While the operations bring hope that Allie will live a more normal life, having a special needs child with medical problems is an ordeal for the Hills, young parents who hate to watch their child suffer.
"The whole process is really difficult to understand and deal with," says Michelle. "All I see is my baby having to go through all this pain and it is truly breaking my heart. I would give anything to be able to take this from her. I know God has a plan for her but sometimes it's really hard to understand. We've had some really rough times in the past two and half years, and we're heading into more, but I wouldn't trade them for anything."
Faith in God plays a major role in how the Hill's are dealing with Allie's affliction. "We trust in God, asking him to do his will in Allie's life," says Jeremy, "And we pray that God will help us to accept it. "
"I know God is on our side and He is watching over us, adds Michelle. "We also have tremendous support from family and friends. They are all truly great!"
Meanwhile, Michelle, just wants the world to know how beautiful Alison is. "Allie is such a smart, beautiful little girl. She is an angel from Heaven and our miracle," says Michelle. "Her personality outshines the sun. Allie is an absolute blessing to have and to be around. She wakes up smiling and happy every day. God truly has her in His hand. I've always said she's got every reason to be unhappy but she isn't. It makes me ashamed of myself sometimes, knowing how I sometimes get grumpy over little, insignificant things. She's a typical two year old, always playing, on the go and very busy (as you can tell from her pics). We call her our Princess. Allie is truly the joy of my life and I love her with all my heart. I don't know what I would do without her."
Treacher Collins has affected Allie's hearing so she wears a bone conduction hearing aid. Allie uses a combination of words and signs to communicate with her family. She already has a sign-language vocabulary of about 250-300 words. Michelle says Allie also is quite a talker. (She even has a fuzzy pink phone that she "talks" on. Allie has 1-2 hours of speech therapy every week, and her parents take sign language classes so that they can communicate better with their child.
Because of her small airway, Michelle says, "We have to be very careful who Allie is around. She can't be around anyone who is sick. She is very susceptible to respiratory illnesses. Something like that could be devastating to her. She would spend a great deal of time in the hospital. During cold and flu seasons we don't go anywhere, not even to church. I don't like seeing her sick, I would rather it be me."
All of the trips to the doctor cost money, including the increasing cost of gasoline. So Jeremy puts in overtime at his job, time that he would rather spend with his little girl.
If you would like to help Allie and the Hill's, their church has set up a special account. Please send your donation to:
Cornerstone Community Church
The Allie Fund
P.O. Box 4264
Charleston WV 25364
Please make the check payable to Cornerstone Community Church and put The Allie Fund in the memo line. That way the church knows you are reaching out to help little Alison Hill.
God will bless you for lending a hand!
There is also a web site where you can read Alison's journal and follow her progress. It is:
www.caringbridge.org/visit/alisonhill
