Eric
Eric says his experience has inspired him to pursue a career as a diabetes educator and counsellor.
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Last summer, Éléonore learned to ride a bike and rollerblade. This was amazing because at birth, Éléonore experienced severe respiratory distress. She was incubated immediately, dependent on oxygen, and remained in hospital for eight days.
She also did not gain much weight in her first few months of life and vomited frequently. After a series of tests, she was diagnosed with Abernethy malformation, a rare vascular defect causing her liver to function at only five per cent. She needed surgery quickly, followed by critical care in the pediatric intensive care unit.
Éléonore also experienced severe motor delays. After a series of other tests, she was diagnosed with Arnold-Chiari malformation, a condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal. At 18 months, she underwent three surgeries in three months, with two of them performed in less than 48 hours.
Éléonore was also diagnosed with osteogenesis imperfecta, which is commonly referred to as ‘brittle bone disease’.
She is currently undergoing diagnostic testing for Noonan syndrome.
In all, there is a team of approximately 25 specialists working with Éléonore and her family across various children’s hospitals in Quebec. At every appointment, she looks for the Opération Enfant Soleil logo who raise funds for the four major pediatric centres in Quebec. Her mother says it gives Éléonore great comfort, knowing that Opération Enfant Soleil and its corporate partners are by her side – and it gives her inspiration to be the feisty, energetic child that she is.
