Our daughter, Charlotte, is a walking, talking miracle. She was born with various malformations, including a cleft lip and palate, and other anomalies involving her brain, heart, kidneys, liver and GI tract. She had 11 surgeries by the time she was 2½, and she has at least five more to go. 

From the get-go, we were told if Charlotte survived, this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. It’s never easy, but loosening our grip on the illusion of control helps us meet each challenge as it comes. 

When we’re dealing with a health issue, Charlotte calls it an “owie.” She says, “Tomorrow, no owie, Mama.” She’s so tough, resilient and hopeful, it’s hard not to be hopeful, too, when you’re around her. 

I came to the realization that Charlotte was never mine to keep; she was only mine to love. It’s a gift to be there for her, to protect her, to do everything I can for her. But at the end of the day, she’s not mine. She’s an incredible child of God. 

Before Charlotte was born, my husband, Dan, and I were fixating on the fact that she might die. We asked Dr. Chapa1 all these questions, which he patiently answered. Then he told us: “The baby I see on this ultrasound is very much alive. So let’s focus on her life.” We’re so thankful to have encountered that same attitude from everyone at Cleveland Clinic. We could dwell on what-ifs, but here we are with a child who’s ready to fight for her life. So let’s do it!

 

Charlotte, 4, started preschool this year. She enjoys ballet lessons and being a big sister to her siblings, Liam and Eden. Learn more about Charlotte at EmilyKWhiting.com.

Charlotte, with blonde hair and a side half pony tail, smiling for a photo in front of her preschool

Charlotte on her first day of preschool. | Photo: Courtesy of Emily Whiting

Note

  1. Jeff Chapa, MD, is Head of Maternal-Fetal Medicine in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 

Before Charlotte Whiting was even born, she faced an uphill battle.