Jason and Rachel Moore were always excited to start a family. Currently, the pair has two children – Naomi, age 21 months, and Lacey, age 4 months. But their journey has not always been easy. As reported by News 5 Cleveland, Naomi was born with a number of health issues, such as an atrial septal defect and a rare congenital abnormality called an omphalocele.
For almost the entirety of her life, Naomi has been hospitalized. She requires full-time day and night care with nurses who are able to manage Naomi’s medical equipment, which includes a ventilator and tracheostomy tube. Unfortunately, her parents were unable to find a nurse equipped to care for their daughter. Months passed with Naomi remaining hospitalized; her parents knew that they needed to make a change.
After reaching out for media support, the Moore family suddenly found the help they needed. Multiple people reached out and they found themselves surrounded by community love, care, and support. After hiring a nurse to help during the daytime and a second nurse to help throughout the night, and with plans to bring on additional carers, the Moore family finally brought their daughter home.
Moving forward, Jason and Rachel hope that Naomi will continue to thrive and have a wonderful life. No matter what happens, they know they have a support system ready to help.
What is an Omphalocele?
As described above, an omphalocele is a rare congenital abnormality in which a baby is born with the bowel, liver, and other abdominal organs outside of the abdomen. These organs are covered with a transparent membrane. An omphalocele is not the same as gastroschisis, where the organs are not covered with a membrane/sac. Altogether, an omphalocele occurs in around 1 in every 4,000-7,000 births. Babies born with an omphalocele may show signs of other complications, which may include:
- Poor lung development
- Heart or kidney malformations
- Beckwith-Wiedeman syndrome
- Chromosomal abnormalities
