Sat, Nov 21 2009
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Published March 11, 2008 12:08 am - RIVERTON, Kan. — Abriana “Abe” Andrews has been surprising people since the day she was born. She surprised her mother by arriving three months early. She surprised her doctors by surviving her first night despite infections ravaging her frail body. She's a real champion By Melissa Dunson
mdunson@joplinglobe.com RIVERTON, Kan. — Abriana “Abe” Andrews has been surprising people since the day she was born. She surprised her mother by arriving three months early. She surprised her doctors by surviving her first night despite infections ravaging her frail body. She surprised the nurses in the neonatal intensive-care unit at Freeman Hospital West in Joplin, Mo., by coming out of seizures after the blood vessels in her brain ruptured. “I thought we were losing her,” said Crystal Adamson, Abe’s mother. “But she defied the odds.” Doctors told Adamson that Abe had a 100 percent chance of cerebral palsy and mental retardation. They said she would never walk, talk or feed herself. “The doctor was worried because I handled the news so well,” Adamson said. “I told the doctor that she would turn out however God wanted her to be, and that she was my daughter and I would still love her.” Abe surprised them again. She learned to use a walker, then graduated to walking on her own. Last year, she danced in her first recital. “I am a ballerina and a tap-dancer,” said Abe, now 7. Abe’s father is Jeffe Andrews, and she has a brother, Jaxavier Andrews, 2; a half sister, Michelle Andrews, 18; and a half brother, Eli Andrews, 15. Abe lives with her mother, father and brother in Baxter Springs. Today, she is in first grade at Riverton Elementary School. “All of the kids are enamored with her. They all want to be her friend,” Adamson said. “Her classmates have been just great. Every day, one of the kids is waiting for her to help her hang up her backpack and coat when I drop her off in the morning.” Abe has been named the 2008 Children’s Miracle Network Missouri Champion. She will travel to Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday for the CMN Celebration. Abe is like any other youngster, excited about a trip to Walt Disney World. Her favorite ride is the flying Dumbo, and she said she is seriously considering having breakfast with Cinderella. After that, Abe will visit Washington, D.C., to talk with legislators and raise awareness of Children’s Miracle Network’s work and her disorder. Her story and image will be used in CMN’s state and national campaigns. 
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