As a family, we had always wanted to have a third child. We were all excited to learn we expecting a new addition to our family and eagerly awaited our scan so we could find out if we expecting a little girl or boy. Already having one of each, baby’s older brother and sister both of course wanted the same gender as them. On the day of our eagerly awaited scan we were delighted to be expecting a little girl, but the sonographer’s face soon became serious, and called in the doctor. There was some unexpected news- there was a part of our baby’s brain that couldn’t be seen. This was the day we learned about a corpus callosum, and that our expected little girl was going to be born without one.

The early days now feel like a blur. We didn’t know what condition this meant for us, or what it would mean for our little girl. We listened to the specialists and searched the internet- and came across the AusDoCC group. What a relief it was to find people that had their own stories of their own lives and children with this same condition! It made the information seem more understandable, and we could see people living happy, full lives, rather than a collection of medical terms that seemed quite scary and overwhelming.

On the day Karina joined us we were all instantly in love. She looked so perfect! We watched her grow in wonder and joy for her first years. Her brother Raleigh is 10 years older than her, and her sister Samahl is nearly 8 years older. Karina always wanted to be just like one of the big kids, trying her hardest to keep up with them. It felt like she was never going to stay a baby for long, and she seemed determined to be grown up and do all the things they were doing.

Karina has to be the happiest sweetest little girl most people have ever met. She is kind and friendly and loves to have cuddles from the people she loves. She has started her first year of school this year, and her teachers tell us that she will try hard, even when things are a little more difficult for her.

Karina has been able to access NDIS early intervention and has been getting regular speech therapy which has helped her understand some concepts and has also been working on 2 and 3 step instructions. She also has a regular physiotherapist, to help her with her core strength, balance and muscle tone and we have been so happy to see her now becoming more confident on play equipment and trying things she might not have previously attempted, like climbing up ladders and jumping across rocks. Finally, the occupational therapist has done some great work helping Karina gain her independence, and she is getting more confident with things like washing and drying herself, dressing herself and brushing her teeth.

Karina asked to add to her story that her favourite things are dancing, art, playing with her ooshies and toys, and her cat, Ricky. She wants to help animals when she grows up and says that she will be a vet one day.

Hilary Bustillo

Karina’s older sister, Samahl has written her own story on her life with Karina. You can read her story HERE