Our Patients:

Faith Jethro

Cardinal Glennon kid faith posing as our CMN Ambassador

During the early stages of pregnancy with Faith, doctors informed her family that she had a one in 17 chance of having Down Syndrome. Her family was devastated, but after much prayer and encouragement from loved ones, they quickly came to terms with this. When Faith was born she didn’t have any characteristics of Down Syndrome, but something still wasn’t right. Faith wasn’t thriving or meeting her developmental milestones. Faith’s pediatrician suggested physical and occupational therapy. Although Faith received the services at five months of age, her family was still concerned about her.

Faith was born with a cyst on her brain and was seen at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital’s Neurosurgery and Neurology departments. By age one, Faith was unable to stand, crawl, or sit up.  She was two years old when she first started walking and the cyst finally dissipated.  Faith began having G.I. issues and was also seen by a Gastroenterologist and the Allergist at Cardinal Glennon. She was diagnosed with Eosinophilic Esophagitis and also has food allergies. After genetic testing, results showed that Faith has a very rare Chromosome abnormality which is the root cause of delays in her motor skills and intellectual disabilities.

Currently, Faith continues to receive physical, occupational, and speech therapy, as well as special services at school. At the present time, there is no cure for her condition, and Faith may always need medical support of some kind.  Her family is grateful for the excellent care and services that they continue to receive from the doctors and staff at Cardinal Glennon. It is because of Cardinal Glennon that they were able to obtain the correct diagnosis for Faith and receive the tools to help her succeed and thrive.

Today, Faith spends her free time playing pretend, spending time with family, coloring, and giving hugs. She loves to meet new people and brings a smile to the faces of everyone she meets!

You may recognize Faith as our featured patient for the Tree of Hope Campaign this year! Click Here to make your year-end gift to Tree of Hope and support Cardinal Glennon kids just like Faith.