AN UNEXPECTED NORMAL

In this memoir, Angelini shares the struggles and joys of caring for a child with cerebral palsy.

On April 25, 1999, the author gave birth to her second baby girl, Chiara (KiKi) Rae Angelina. She knew from the time of her earlier pregnancy with her first child, Marina, that she had tested positive for being a group B strep (aka GBS) carrier and was at risk of transmitting an infection to her baby during the birthing process, and that it was necessary for her to be given an antibiotic before any delivery. However, unknown to her, a miscommunication prevented her from receiving the critical antibiotic. By the second day of her life, KiKi was exhibiting signs of distress, not eating and appearing to be asleep with her eyes open. On the third day, doctors determined that she had a blood infection. The news would get worse: When Angelini was discharged, KiKi had to remain in the hospital for intravenous antibiotics. The next morning, the author and her husband, Normann, received a call from the hospital reporting “respiratory failure, seizures, meningitis, [the baby] may not survive.” The bacterium had traveled up KiKi’s spine to her brain, resulting in permanent damage. Although the road ahead would be filled with more crises than they could imagine and required a steep learning curve, Normann and Angelini (and even their toddler, Marina) committed themselves to providing the best, love-filled life possible for KiKi. Angelini’s narrative is explicit and unvarnished in its descriptions of exhausting daily routines, arrays of special equipment, a multitude of emergency hospital visits, trips to expose KiKi to the newest techniques to help her experience the sensation of walking, and the constant efforts to connect her with friends. This memoir, written in articulate, conversational prose and packed with comprehensive medical information that should be useful for fellow travelers, is at times an emotionally-challenging read. But readers will also share in the family’s joy when KiKi smiles or giggles, exhibits her determination to communicate while not able to speak, and expresses her obvious love for each member of her family.

Heartwarming, painful, and inspiring.