*Hannah's World*

Hi, my name is Hannah. My Mom has created this web site to help encourage and uplift all who live with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) - also known as brittle bones. You can visit www.oif.org for more information on this very rare condition. I am 14 months old (June 2001) and have sustained about 26 identifiable fractures already. At birth I had several healed fractures and a couple of new ones. My Mom was told the healed ones happened in utero. I stood breech throughout the last four months of my Mom's pregnancy, thus most of the in utero fractures were in my legs. At delivery they totaled roughly 15. Since then, I have had four occasions where I endured 11 more. Let's see, where should I begin........

The first four fractures after birth may have possibly occured at the medically fragile daycare I was attending. My Mom shared hours of training and educated the staff, and they too, reached further and researched themselves through the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation (OIF), however by x-ray the four rib fractures appeared to look as though someone picked me up from under my armpits (an absolute no-no for the more severe forms of OI, especially in the infant stage) and their palm caved in on my lower left portion of rib cage, in one central region, even the doctor lead on that maybe I was mishandled...but who knows, maybe I just rolled to my side and hit something a bit too hard...the second occasion came from a phone call from this same daycare. Mom was told I had a fever and there was some congestion. A visit to the doctor revealed, by x-ray, bronchilitis and four more rib fractures (Nov. 2000). This time in the back and the fractures were more spread out - this was from my heavy coughs...the third showed up surprisingly at my first visit to the orthopedist. The doctor stated he saw some recent rib fractures. Boy, I tell you, ribs, ribs, and more ribs...and lastly the last occasion happened when my Mom left me under my Grandad's care - Can you believe that? ...Only kidding Grandad, you know I have nothing but love for you. Within 20 minutes of her return, she noticed my right arm was not moving (April 2001). You talk about pain, the slightest movement or touch, instant tears and I'm not one to cry, so you know I was in A LOT OF PAIN. I couldn't tell you how this one happened, I just don't know (fractures can occur with little or no movement). To many of the doctors surprise, with regard to the rib fractures I've endured, they were amazed at how just mere tylenol took the edge off. Nothing stronger was given due to the close monitoring of my respiratory status (I was born with a pectus excavatum, which means 'indented chestwall' to be brief). I didn't cry not one time with each rib fracture incident. They say rib fractures are the most painful and can interfere with one's breathing. I just laid there, still and quiet, waiting for the healing process to end. Of course Mom was right there each time I looked for her. She looked more in pain than me. I'm positive I had an angel on my shoulders too. God has been so good to me.