MEET NAIT MIRACLE CHRIS!!!!
Chris is 23 years old. He was born with a rare disease with life-threatening consequences called Fetal and Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (FNAIT). His mother’s email address is “our miracle kids” based on the miracle that Chris survived FNAIT. She shared their story to give hope to others.
There is no routine blood test that is performed in pregnancy to detect these antibodies to platelets causing FNAIT. It occurs when a mother’s immune system destroys the fetus’s or newborn’s blood platelets. The fetus with FNAIT has low platelets and is at risk of bleeding into its brain in utero or developing irreversible neurological damage leading to cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, seizures, and loss of hearing. He is limited verbally depending upon the day. He communicates with gestures by pointing and can say yes or no, Mommy and Daddy.
According to his mother, when Chris was born, he wasn’t expected to live but the family got early intervention. His mother describes how his left side was weaker and they began therapy when he was one month old. At two years, they noticed issues with his speech development. He attended a specialized preschool and at about 3 years old, Chris started to have seizures. She describes how they bravely met each challenge to address his diagnoses of epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and autism.
Chris loves spending time with family and friends. His favorite things to do are finding great places for sushi, shopping for clothes, and sightseeing. He is completing a prevocational program. He just started training for his first job as an office assistant (see photo) where he will be organizing supplies and shredding documents. His mother proudly shared that he also has skills working on a farm.
To learn more about the research and advances on FNAIT by a team of New York State pediatric specialists in hematology, low platelet disorders, and fetal diagnosis and therapy, click here.
