Every parent-to-be hopes their little bundle of joy will be born healthy and enjoy a happy childhood. Sadly, Paul and Rebecca Callaghan weren’t that fortunate.
Their daughter faced issues while still in the womb and had to be born early. Unfortunately, neither the doctors nor the parents realized how serious the baby’s health problems were until she arrived in the world.
Little Matilda Rose Callaghan has been through a lot in her life and still faces many challenges. But she’s a brave girl with loving parents supporting her.
When Matilda was born, doctors noticed that her face had dark blue and red marks all over it. At first, they thought these were just bruises from the delivery, but that wasn’t the case. Those marks were something much more serious and weren’t going to go away anytime soon.
In the early days of her life, Matilda had to have several surgeries. She even stopped breathing two times, and the doctors had to bring her back to life. Eventually, they found out that the marks on her face were due to the baby’s Trachea Oesophageal Fistula (TOF) and Sturge Weber Syndrome. This syndrome is a neurological disorder that is known for having unique port-wine stains on the forehead, scalp, or around the eye, which are caused by too many capillaries close to the skin’s surface.
In order for her birthmarks not to spread and affect the brain or other organs, they had to be treated with laser treatments.
The treatments Matilda has to go through until she turns 16 leave her face with polka dot marks. These marks disappear after about three weeks, but since she gets laser treatments every two months, her face is usually covered in dots.
When she goes out with her parents, strangers often stare at her, making both her and her parents feel uncomfortable because they think the marks are from abuse or hitting.
The Callaghans feel really sad whenever people tease their daughter. They understand that she is too young to fully grasp her condition, but they worry that as she gets older, her self-esteem might be seriously affected.
Matilda’s dad wants everyone to understand the real reason behind how his daughter looks. He says, “People only see what’s right in front of them and jump to mean conclusions. I wish they could look beyond the birthmark and see what a lovely little angel she truly is.”
Matilda can’t walk by herself and has a hard time talking, but her parents do everything they can to give her the best life possible. They love her more than anything and are always there to help her fight her battles.
They tell her story because they want others to know about the challenges they face every single day.
