Braggin' on My Girl

We just got back from a visit with Marissa's Ear, Nose, & Throat Doctor (ENT). She (Dr. P) just wanted to follow up on Marissa's ear tubes and see how she was doing otherwise. Dr. P happens to be one of our favorites. She is always so compassionate and so tuned in to Marissa's needs. She always wants to know how she is doing on the larger scale, not just in the way that concerns her area of expertise.

As usual, Marissa was congenial with Dr. P and her MA (smiling, waving and jabbering) until Dr. P pulled out her instrument to look in Marissa's ear. Marissa threw a fit even though Dr. P was very gentle and quick. As soon as Dr. P was done Marissa went back to her funny flirtatious self. She started jabbering and dancing and just having a ball. I think she was performing for them! Dr. P ended the visit by telling me how impressed she is with Marissa's development and how smart she is. As we left the exam room, Dr. P stayed behind to finish her notes and we went down the hall to check out. A moment later Dr. P came out and was talking to her MA. I'm pretty sure she didn't know I could hear but I heard her say " I am always so impressed with Marissa every time I see her. For a little girl with such a complex medical history, she is so smart and so interactive with the world and people around her."

When Marissa was born she was diagnosed with a condition called agenesis of the corpus callosum. This means that the piece that connects the right and left sides of her brain and allows them to communicate with each another is missing some parts. We were told she might have some degree of cognitive disability or this might not affect her cognition very much at all. The medical community really has no answers as to how much the corpus callosum affects a person's everyday life. We have always known there was a possibility for Marissa to have problems in this area but have been encouraged to watch how well she seems to be developing. Friends and family also tell us how smart they think she is. She knows 22 signs and is attempting to speak more and more each day. She seems to us as parents to be a smart little girl, but it is always nice when a medical professional makes comments to back up what we see.

The comments that Dr. P made might seem like small potatoes but in our world it is a huge encouragement to hear those things from a doctor. And Dr. P is not the only doctor who has made comments like that. We still don't know what the future will hold for Marissa, especially when she starts school, but for now we are happy to know she impresses doctors with her brains!