It was an adjustment period for the whole family, she was so fragile and although we already had one child, Jonathan age 5, it was as though we were starting from scratch, like we had never had a baby before. My husband and I were so frightened those first few weeks, we would jump up at every little movement she made, but we had no idea what was yet to come. At 3 months Alyssa returned to the hospital to undergo crania facial surgery, the first of many surgeries to come. This surgery would prove to be the most dangerous of them all. With Apert, the skull has a premature fusion of these plates, restricting brain growth, and causing increased pressure in the brain as it grows.
Early surgery relieves the pressure by allowing the plates to be detached from one another.
If early surgery is not completed the brain will be unable to grow normally, causing numerous difficulties including vision loss and hearing loss, to mention a few. Alyssa has had numerous surgeries to try to give her more functionality of her fingers by separating the fused fingers as much as possible. She had to have both of her big toes removed, and the four remaining toes are still webbed. She is able to adapt with what she does have, to do things that most people would think are impossible for her to do. With this early intervention, you will be surprised at what can be achieved.