Cerebral Palsy

Kelsey has had two eye surgeries, and she's near-sighted, but she isn't blind." Kelsey was on three different ventilators for three months, and on the 129th day after she came into the world, she went home with her parents.

"She came home on oxygen and monitors," Meade said.

"But we were very fortunate." Today, the Meade family lives in the Bennett's Creek area, and Kelsey attends pre-school through the Early Intervention/No Child Left Behind program at Florence Bowser Elementary School.

"She's receiving speech and physical therapy, and catching up very well," Meade said.

Ashlynn Marie Bennett On Aug.

26, 2001, Ashlynn Marie Bennett was born three weeks early, developed pneumonia, and spent her first 11 days in the intensive care unit at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

Ray and Lorrie Bennett, who live in the Oak Ridge neighborhood, also learned that the left ventricle of their daughter's tiny heart was missing - a defect that was not detected in two previous ultrasounds.

Ashlynn was taken by medical jet to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

There, the first of three surgeries took place during the infant's first five months of life.

The first surgery that was performed shortly after her birth failed, and Ashlynn underwent another operation 17 days later.

"It was a miracle that she had survived," said Ray Bennett..

Ashlynn had her fourth surgery at age 3-1/2, and w...

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