Boyfriend Leaves Her During Pregnancy For Rare Bone Disease – Her Daughter Is Born With It As Well

Mar 14, 2019 by apost team

Dorothy Hohl was born with a brittle bone disease known as osteogenesis imperfecta (OI or Brittle Bone Disease). Her body does not manufacture enough collagen to protect bones from breaking. OI originates from a defective gene causing brittle bones. Twenty years ago, Dorothy found out she was pregnant. Her doctor informed her that the child could inherit the same gene. Dorothy never wavered from giving birth to Savannah even though she had a fifty-fifty chance of contracting OI.

Savannah's dad asked Dorothy to get an abortion. He did not want to stay with Dorothy if she gave birth to the baby. Losing her baby's father was difficult. But Dorothy also lost her family. Her relatives wanted nothing to do with her unless she agreed to abort the fetus. Although passing the OI gene to her daughter was a real possibility, Dorothy proceeded with her pregnancy despite the odds. Dorothy had no qualms about raising her child as a single parent.

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Dorothy faced the news with courage when the doctor told her Savannah had inherited the uncommon gene. As a close-knit and inseparable mother and daughter, Dorothy and Savannah spent 20 years enjoying each other's company. During this lengthy period, Savannah blossomed. Savannah's determination and strong spirit enabled her to become an intelligent and independent young woman. She owes everything to her mom's encouragement. Savannah is now attending college. Dorothy does not regret her decision to stick with the pregnancy. Dorothy said she always believed good days outnumber less than perfect days. Her intuition was correct.

OI is not a common disorder. Complex and changeable, OI causes the affected person to have delicate bones along with other serious medical conditions. People with OI may experience various symptoms, including hearing loss, fragile teeth, asthma, weak internal organs, poor eyesight, and heart problems. An individual with OI may get frequent bruises and experience curvature of the spine.

But this mom and daughter look at life with tremendous courage. Filled with peace of mind, Savannah and Dorothy both love to laugh. A good sense of humor has helped Dorothy and Savannah get through tough days. Thanks to her courageous and determined mom, Savannah has more self-esteem than many of her peers. OI has not hampered her optimism.

What do you think about Dorothy and Savannah's story? Do you agree that Dorothy made the right decision? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this article along to others who don't know anything about osteogenesis imperfecta!