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Angel Toribio is a beautiful little girl that lives in the Philippines with her father Pol, mother Eva and her brand
new baby sister Ashley. Pol contacted CAPPSKIDS.ORG in April while desperately searching for help for Angel.....It was
then that our journey began...........through phone calls and emails we were able to find support around the country for baby
Angel.
It started with an email to Dr. Jeffrey Fearon in Dallas. He is an expert on Apert Syndrome treatment. He gave
us the contact information we would need to apply to Medical City Dallas Hospital for charity. He also directed us to
Nancy Robertson of The Grace Children's Foundation. Nancy has a remarkable track record for bringing indigent children of
China to America for surgery. With Nancy's guidance and contacts we were able to give Pol the support and information
he would need to obtain his nonimmigration visa.
Where would Pol and Angel stay for 4 months? That's where Margaret comes in ... a wonderful mother who also has a daughter
with Apert Syndrome. She worked hard to find our baby Angel a HOST family in Dallas.
The director of Philippine Airlines has offered a travel grant to Pol and Angel. They will be flying from Cebu to LAX
via PAL.
American Airlines Miles for Kids, has generously donated free round trip airfare for Angel and her father to Dallas from
Lax.
The Marriott Residence Inn LAX in El Segundo has donated a room via The World Craniofacial Foundation for Angel and Pol
from 10/28-10/29.
10/29/06 Angel and Pol have made it safely to Dallas. This will be a busy week for little Angel with her first surgery
scheduled for November 2nd. This surgery is to seperate her little fingers and toes that are fused together. This
is stage one of a two stage surgery. Stage two is scheduled for January.
11/08/06 Angel had her first stage Syndactyly Release. She is doing very well. Dr. Fearon said things went as well as he
had planned. Angel has some toes and fingers under her casts and the procedure will be completed in January. THANK
YOU DR. FEARON!
Pol has made himself comfortable in America and has been enjoying Dallas. He wants me to express his gratitude to
all that have wished Angel well and followed her story.
12/02/06 Eva arrived safely in America. Thank you to all who contributed to help bring Angel's mommy to visit. We are all
thankful she will be here for the CVR, which is scheduled for 12/08/06.
Angel had her CVR on 12/08/2006. She has recovered beautifully and her family is anxiously awaiting the second stage of
her hand/foot surgery this month. Please look at all of the great photos in the photos section of this site.
Angel had the second stage of the hand/foot release surgery. She has 10 fingers and toes now! She looks incredible!
Angel is ready to back to the Philippines now. We are so happy that we were able to help baby Angel and wish her
healthy, life of success and happiness.
We love you Angel!
Click here for a timeline generously updated by Allison Rowland and Margaret Jenna regarding Angel's time in America
This site was created as a tribute to the people that have generously stepped up and offered support and charity to help
this family.
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| Look at Angel now!!!! |
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Apert Syndrome
What is Apert Syndrome?
Apert Syndrome is a condition involving distortions of the head and
face and webbing of the hands and feet. Characteristics include:
- skull - short from back to front, wide on the sides, and overly tall (craniosynostosis)
- eyes - slightly side-spaced, bulging, the eyelids tilt downward abnormally at the sides
- face - the mid-face has a sunken-in appearance, the upper jaw slopes backward, lower teeth project in front of the upper
teeth
- hands and feet - webbing and/or fusion including finger bones, toe bones, and joints of fingers and toes
Why did this happen?
There is no link between anything the mother did or did not do while she
was pregnant and the occurrence of Apert Syndrome. Doctors believe Apert Syndrome occurs when a gene mutates early in the
pregnancy.
Will this happen to children I have in the future?
The chances of having another child with
Apert Syndrome is almost non-existent if both parents are unaffected. If one parent has Apert Syndrome, there is a 50% chance
that his/her children will have Apert Syndrome.
What kinds of problems could my child have?
In addition to the physical characteristics common
to Apert Syndrome, your child may have the following problems:
- cleft palate - about 30% of children with Apert Syndrome are affected
- slower learning rates and abilities - about 50% of children with Apert Syndrome are affected; however, as the children
grow older, they often catch up with others
- vision problems caused by imbalance of the eye muscles
- recurrent ear infections which can cause hearing loss
- noisy breathing - the smaller nose and airway passages may make breathing difficult
- hyperactive sweat glands may cause your child to sweat a lot, especially while sleeping
- problems with acne are more likely, especially during puberty
Will my child need surgery?
Depending on the severity of Apert Syndrome, your child may have
some or all of the following surgeries:
- total skull reshaping to correct the tower skull problems at three to four months of age
- frontal-orbital advancement to increase space within the skull and the size of both orbits (the part of the skull with
holds the eyeball) at three to four months of age
- mid-facial advancement - usually prior to starting school
- facial bi-partition to widen the upper jaw, derotate the orbits, and to narrow the upper face
- osteotomy (cutting through the bone of the upper and lower jaw to correct further problems usually during the teen years
- rhinoplasty - plastic surgery of the nose
- genioplasty - plastic surgery of the chin or cheek
- eyelid surgery to correct the abnormal downward tilt
- separation of the fingers and/or toes
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