[Susan]

Natasha Melgarejo was pregnant and was having her third ultrasound. She had heard that it is not a good thing when the technician performing the ultrasound leaves the room. The technician took a deep breath and sent Natasha and her husband Luis directly to see the doctor.
The ultrasound tech had discovered a white mass at the base of the neck of his son. The most disheartening was that the doctor had no idea what it was. Undiagnosed, Natasha was referred to a Perinatalogist. The perinatologist was also unable to give the family any new information. The only thing the family knew after the ultrasound was that they would have a boy. They named him Giovanni Giovani Dos Santos, because of their favorite soccer player. The weeks passed, and the only thing the doctors knew was that Giovanni was growing fast - very fast. At 36 weeks Giovanni was no longer able to move in the womb, and would have to be removed. When Natasha was preparing for cesarean, the doctor told her: "You should know that your child probably will not survive after birth." During cesarean section, Natasha heard a scream. Gio was breathing! The nurses took Gio and put tubes in his nose and mouth. But there was something very different with the newborn baby. Some of the fingers were fused, his arms, legs and trunk were deformed. But his face was perfect, angelic even. An hour later, the doctor returned with bad news. Gio's heart had stopped beating, not long after birth. The doctor explained that they were able to revive the baby, but the prognosis was grim. "Your child will not make it to the end of the week." That was it. Sometimes real hope means believing in something that nobody else believes. Natasha believed that Gio would find a way. Gio made it to the end of the week, until the end of the month, until the end of the next month ... After three months, Gio was finally sent home, not yet diagnosed. He was home for exactly a week when he stopped breathing. Luis called 911 and began CPR on the frail child. The ambulance raced Gio back to the same hospital and there he spent another 3 months. Again, the family was told that little could do for Gio. But in some way, once again, Gio began to breathe. The family was referred to another specialist who finally was able to diagnose Gio with cloves (cloves), a rare congenital disorder characterized by a combination of skin, bone marrow, bone and joint changes. There is no known cure. Children often develop cloves with a mass of fat around their torsos, as well as having grown arms, hands, legs and feet. Gio has almost all of it. For some reason the infection Gio has is from the neck down. Children with cloves on the face and brain do not live past age 5. Gio's brain would be as normal as any other boy growing up. But the obscure disorder has devastated the rest of his body. Gio was prone to blood infections. His immune system was very weak. A small cut that would need only a bandaid for us, could mean a week in the hospital for Gio. Small clusters form in your skin that can burst anytime. In addition, blood Gio is very thin. The first year of life Gio was exhausting. Natasha had heard "Your child will not survive" more times than she could remember. Every time something terrible happened, her heart pierced with the idea of ​​burying her baby. On his birthday, Giovanni returned to his birth hospital for a checkup. Nurses began to cry. They could not believe that Gio was still alive. Giovanni will probably never play the sport of his namesake, but he had the heart of a winner. Gio is now 4 years old and is a very positive and happy boy and has an infectious laugh. When we speak of many diseases, the focus is usually on the inner effects of the disease. Due to malformations, Gio has a dramatic effect on others because of his exterior. Gio's mother recalled a recent trip to Walmart. "An ignorant person asked if the fingers on Gio were real. Another child pointed and exclaimed: "It's a monster!" Gio's parents are fighting a battle on two fronts - health of Gio as well as how it is received in the world. Meet Gio ...

[Photoplay]

What a heartbreak emotional story.
Champion of a family and yes Gio has the heart of a winner

[Nihlistpunk]

That mario costume really fits him well

[Wench]

as went his first year...so goes the rest of his life...fucked up and painful.

[vagabond]

He really is cute...I hope down the line something can be done for him.

[Pyramid_Head]

This is why I understand people terminating a birth when you're aware of a deformity like this. He'll have a very tough life sadly.

[candice81]

poor boy, he does look happy though

[jesse]

Well that just made me burst out crying. Terribly emotional story. He is loved and I truly hope something can be done to help him as time goes on.

[Kelseecat65]

As heartwarming as it is, he will have a most difficult time as he ages. I wish they could do something to minimize those hands/feet to perhaps make his life a bit more comfortable. Poor little guy.

[jenna_live]

That's is Crazy .