ATHENS — When Angie Peck sees the familiar logo — a red and yellow hot air balloon — she immediately thinks about her daughter Addison. Taped on department store registers, each balloon cut-out represents a dollar, given by a customer, a child or like Peck, a parent who knows the heartache of children’s illness. Just one donation to the Children’s Miracle Network helps support 17 million children each year. One of those children is Addison Peck of Athens.

“Addison is a beautiful little girl that knows what she wants. Her inner strength is immeasurable,” said Angie. “She lets nothing stand in her way whether it is raiding the kitchen cabinets, sneaking through the house or recovering from intestinal surgeries. No matter what obstacle we are trying to hurdle, she continues to smile and melt your heart with those big baby blues.”

A mother’s voice is filled with pride, happiness and in Peck’s case: Thankfulness. Addison had taught us to be thankful, she said. Each day is now a celebration. Her daughter is a blank canvas, she said. But modern medicine is still blending and creating the hues of health.

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Addison was born on Oct. 15, 2008, but shortly after birth, her parents, Angie and Jeremy Peck, knew something wasn’t right with their new daughter. Already mother to daughter Sydney, Angie realized something was wrong when the nurses didn’t bring their new daughter back into the room. At Bluefield Regional Medical Center, the doctor informed the couple the baby wouldn’t accept food; her body rejected everything.

“Addison began vomiting bile and eventually went into seizures. She was transported to Roanoke Memorial Hospital. Within hours, she was diagnosed with some type of intestinal obstruction,” Angie said.

Addison’s X-ray showed an empty stomach area, no intestines.

On her first full day of life, Addison went into surgery — an exploratory operation to find a diagnosis for her condition.

“We were terrified,” Angie said. “We didn’t know what the outcome would be. They explained they had a suspicion, but they didn’t know. It was an exploratory surgery ... it could be very simple or it could be very complicated.”

Six hours later, Angie and Jeremy discovered the outcome.

“Addison was the worse case scenario,” she said.

The baby was born with only 9 centimeters of intestines, a diagnosis called Short Bowel or Short Gut Syndrome. Born with jejunal atresia, Addison was born without the portion of her stomach which connects the small intestine to the wall of the abdomen. The missing portion caused a blockage that killed a big section of her small intestine. Therefore, she could not tolerate food or a feeding tube. The family started taking each day one-by-one.

“It was a challenge,” Angie said. “It was trying on everyone in the family. We didn’t know what everyday would bring. We took each day as a blessing.”

Because the disease is so individualist, the family didn’t know what to expect with Addison’s condition. They didn’t know the survival rate. With her youngest daughter in a hospital in Roanoke, Angie made the drive to see Addison four to five times a weeks. Her husband Jeremy would go as well. Sometimes they would put their other daughter to bed and make the drive to Roanoke at night, often staying till 2 a.m. or 3 a.m.

“That way he (Jeremy) could spend time with her,” Angie said. “Things were touch and go. You never wanted to leave because you never knew if you would get to go back. Many times I found hands clasped and on bended knee because I felt there was nowhere else to turn. A mother’s strength and capabilities are endless. You never know what you are truly made of until you have to reach deep within yourself and face your biggest fears.”

After four weeks, Dr. Clinton Cavett decided to perform the STEP operation, otherwise known as a serial transverse enteroplasty procedure. The surgery consisted of cutting and sewing the intestines to elongate and restore normal functions.

The surgery took eight hours. Parents and family members waited for news.

“We returned to the NICU. Attached to multiple machines, ventilators, pumps, suctions and monitors, Addison, fragile yet so powerfully strong, was just beginning her journey,” Angie said.

After surgery, Addison’s intestines changed from nine centimeters to 27 centimeters. The surgery was a success and the family traveled home to Athens in February of 2009. She weighed nine pounds and still required a feeding tube and pump to get nutrition. However, she could orally digest two ounces of Pedialyte every four hours — on a good day.

For Angie and Jeremy, the first two weeks at home seemed like a large reality check.

“I cried everyday cause I was so happy and yet scared too,” Angie said. “You don’t have the specialists, the nurses or the doctors to tell you how to do things or to ask questions.”

But the family learned to adjust, including big sister Sydney.

“She has a special bond with her little sister Addison. She loves to take care of her ... each day, she helps me to get Addison’s supplements and vitamins ready before bath time. After bathing, she is eager to administer her meds using her g-tube.”

At  21 pounds, Addison isn’t relying on her feeding tube anymore. She can eat pureed vegetables, meats and sometimes, small amounts of cheese or crackers.

“That is about all we have tried. We don’t want to push it,” Angie said. “We have to see what she can tolerate at this point.”

Each child with Short Bowel Syndrome has an individual goal. The Peck’s hope Addison’s diet will adapt with time and allow her to enjoy different foods. The family is able to laugh at Addison’s antics. The toddler knows her limitations and likes to swipe or steal food from family members.

“You can’t set anything down because she will swipe it and run,” Angie said.

In the future, Angie and Jeremy hope Addison will gain more weight and continue working on her oral diet. Once this is accomplished, they hope to be able to remove the g-tube.

This past week, Addison’s story was featured on Carillion Clinic’s Children’s Hospital website. Her story — one of survival and strength — coincides with a weekend fundraiser for the Children’s Miracle Network in the Roanoke area. When Angie sees the balloon logo, it triggers a lot of memories.

“I think of the many children that were and are in Addison’s situation. I think of the amazing equipment and assistance that she was provided,” she said.

The Children’s Miracle Network raises funds for more than 170 children’s hospitals, including the West Virginia University Children’s Hospital and Carillion Medical Center for Children.