:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/QQLWVOFTDND3HNYXIIVZSXEIII.jpg)
Lauren Gross is counting down the days until she reaches 30. That day is Friday, July 25.
A 30th birthday is certainly a milestone event for many people. It can be looked at with dread, with joy or as just another day.
For this Bradley woman, however, reaching this mark is nothing short of a miracle.
Lauren has suffered from the genetic disorder, spinal muscular atrophy, Type I, the neuromuscular disease’s harshest level. A quadriplegic, Lauren is dependent on a ventilator.
The disease affects the motor neurons in the spinal cord, causing progressive muscle weakness and wasting.
Fed through a feeding tube, Lauren does not even possess the ability to swallow.
She has the use of her eyes and eyebrows. Because of highly specialized computerization, she can communicate through a computerized voice with the manipulation of her eyes.
This is a woman who most health professionals said would likely not live beyond age 3 or 4. Then, the family was told she wouldn’t make it to age 7. There were similar thoughts regarding her teen years.
From that point, doctors stopped making such pronouncements.
“She’s always been daddy’s girl,” Her father, David, said.
David is hosting a birthday party for his daughter to mark Lauren’s big event.
The party is set for 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at Brookmont Bowling Center, 200 W. Brookmont Blvd., Kankakee.
Gross wants anyone who has had any connection with his daughter through the years to help celebrate with her and the family, bowl a game or two, and have some pizza and birthday cake.
Asked what she thinks of turning 30, she composed her response.
“I’m super excited,” she said. “Doctors thought I wouldn’t live past three. This is a huge miracle.”
A more in-depth story regarding Lauren will be published in the Wednesday edition of The Journal.