Brielle - Apple Pick of the Month

Brielle is a vibrant 20-month-old little girl who was born with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome is a disorder in which a person is born with an extra chromosome: 23 instead of 22. Because of this, she has low muscle tone and mentally develops at a slower pace. She and her twin sister were born prematurely at 29 weeks. The prematurity paired with Down Syndrome has caused Brielle to have some physical obstacles as well, including pulmonary hypertension and tracheomalacia, which means the walls in her windpipe are not as strong as they need to be.

When she was just 2 months old Brielle needed surgery to repair a hiatal hernia in her diaphragm, which was causing horrible acid reflux. During this surgery, the doctors also placed a g-button for her to get feedings through. By the time she was 3 months old, Brielle’s tracheomalacia had gotten to the point where she needed a tracheostomy. Following the procedure, she developed pneumonia and got extremely sick, so she wasn’t able to be taken off the vent. At 6 months old she was finally released from the NICU and transferred to Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth for a month so Mom and Dad could get trained on the vent, trach and g-button cares.

Since coming home in March 2019, Brielle has had some ups and downs, but through it all she never lost the drive and determination to overcome anything that gets in her way. She is a true blessing and great inspiration to her family. Without even knowing, she has shown them the true meaning of fight and will. At about the age of 1 she had a huge improvement and has been doing great ever since. Brielle loves playing with her sister and loves cuddle time with her family and home nursing staff. She has a smile that lights up any room and continues to show it day after day.

Brielle started using Apple’s services in March 2018. She is still currently on a ventilator, pulse oximeter, and is using a feeding pump, which is all handled greatly by Apple. She lives in Lubbock and has a wide array of different doctors that see her regularly.

As time goes by Brielle continues to improve by leaps and bounds. She has a bright and exciting future ahead of her and we all can’t wait to see what it holds for her!