Mateo was born at 39 weeks by C-section and spent the following 122 days in the NICU. After lots of tests he was diagnosed with KNIEST SYNDROME. It is an extremely rare genetic disorder and the exact incidence is unknown, but some predict there are less than 150 case in the world. Kniest syndrome is a type of Dysplasia that affects bone growth and causes dwarfism, malformed bone and joint, skeletal abnormalities and problems with hearing and vision. As a result of his Dysplasia, Mateo was born with small chest cavity that compromised his lung growth and his breathing which led to him becoming Trach-Vent dependent. He also had a G-tube placed at 3 months old. After 9 months of dependency on the vent, one night he miraculously began to breath without artificial assistance, surprising the entire medical staff.
By God's grace, he overcame an improbable obstacle! His journey is far from over. He continues with his tracheostomy and G-Tube. Every child is different in their own special way but their all created the same in God's image!