Abigail was born in January 2011 and has been diagnosed with spina bifida and hydrocephalus for which she has received a shunt. Abigail also takes medication for epilepsy, but has not had any seizures since beginning treatment. She may need a surgery to correct her strabismus.
Abigail was recently seen by an orthopedic surgeon who noted that her spinal deformity and spina bifida are severe. He believes that Abigail is paraplegic and will not be able to walk in the future. Her spine will need treatment to correct its position and improve her sitting posture as well as upper body skills. Abigail is able to use her hands very well, moves around freely on the floor and sits unassisted. She struggles with solid food because she does not chew very well, but reportedly has no trouble eating cookies and candy. While Abigail is very vocal, only about 50 words in her vocabulary are completely clear to understand.
Abigail is a bright and engaging child. She speaks in complete sentences, explores, and knows exactly what is asked of her. Abigail is interested in everything, likes to talk on the phone, plays with toys, and sings. She is known as the social butterfly of her orphanage, always smiling and joyful.
From a family who met Abigail in May 2014: Abigail is a little diva! She is so tiny for her age, but her personality is explosive. She is very smart. She told me all the names of the caregivers and children. When she sees someone she shouts, “Come” and taps on the ground next to her. She is so loving, compassionate, and so kind. She frequently hugs the other children on her own doing. She doesn’t have too much use of her legs at this time, but can scoot on her bottom. She has noticeable curvature of her spine. She needs that corrected. It could improve her physical abilities a lot. We put her in a walking position and she could put some weight onto her legs. She laughed so hard at herself when she was “walking.” She uses a little wooden toy with wheels like a wheelchair. She rolls around everywhere, even getting into the shoes as most young girls would. She had a nasogastric tube in her nose while we were there. A virus was going around and she wasn’t drinking enough so they put it in the children to make sure they were getting enough liquids. They said it was temporary and she normally eats and drinks fine. She also can feed herself and loves chocolate. Whoever adopts Abigail will be so blessed. I think she will excel in a family, and the reward for being her mom would be the biggest blessing to anyone.
From a family who met Abigail in October 2014: Abigail is the size of an infant in both height and weight. She’s a social child, engaged and engaging. She communicates constantly and purposefully, but her speech is very hard to understand. She has a lovely smile. Abigail gets around quite well by scooting on her bottom. When she saw another child upset and crying, she moved over to her and gave her friend a long hug.
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