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Hi I’m La’Nova Jackson!
I was born at 24 weeks of pregnancy due to my mommy’s cervix naturally funneling and the cervical cerclage that was holding me in giving out. Just a year prior my family lost my brother Kwame to the same situation, I am a miracle. Of course my lungs were not strong enough on their own to allow me to breathe along with the narrowing of my airway, so at 3 months old I was given a tracheostomy to provide me a reliable way to breathe. This of course affected everything from my speech to my eating habits. I was given a g-tube in my belly that my family can feed me fluids through and I am 100% non-vocal.
Now that I am 3 years old, I take sign-language classes with mommy and daddy so I can speak my mind! I’m picking up more and more each day. Currently, I’m still very restricted on what I can eat and certain things I can do physically because of my trach. Now that I am big girl I need to have reconstruction of my airway since I rely on my trach 100% and this is dangerous. The doctors say I may have a voice once I have my surgery and there’s a high chance I may be able to be trach-free at some point in my future!
My parents did everything they could to send me to the top hospital that specializes in this kind of surgery for kids like me, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. One of these being finding insurance coverage for me since the hospital is not located in my home state.
With hope,
La’Nova Athena Jackson
Lateece Jackson (daddy) & Miranda Flowers (mommy)
Mom & Dad are amazing! They are very involved in La’Nova’s communication needs by taking sign language classes to help her learn how to communicate with them. Beautiful family! ❤️
I was born at 24 weeks of pregnancy due to my mommy’s cervix naturally funneling and the cervical cerclage that was holding me in giving out. Just a year prior my family lost my brother Kwame to the same situation, I am a miracle. Of course my lungs were not strong enough on their own to allow me to breathe along with the narrowing of my airway, so at 3 months old I was given a tracheostomy to provide me a reliable way to breathe. This of course affected everything from my speech to my eating habits. I was given a g-tube in my belly that my family can feed me fluids through and I am 100% non-vocal.
Now that I am 3 years old, I take sign-language classes with mommy and daddy so I can speak my mind! I’m picking up more and more each day. Currently, I’m still very restricted on what I can eat and certain things I can do physically because of my trach. Now that I am big girl I need to have reconstruction of my airway since I rely on my trach 100% and this is dangerous. The doctors say I may have a voice once I have my surgery and there’s a high chance I may be able to be trach-free at some point in my future!
My parents did everything they could to send me to the top hospital that specializes in this kind of surgery for kids like me, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. One of these being finding insurance coverage for me since the hospital is not located in my home state.
With hope,
La’Nova Athena Jackson
Lateece Jackson (daddy) & Miranda Flowers (mommy)