Daughter Milana was born without the limbs to the world – the Cologne parents tell the story of how that shapes your life

You can see a small, agile body but not completely. Milana has a malformation on the right foot. The complete left leg and foot is missing. You are missing both forearms and hands.

Children without hands and feet: EXPRESS covered cases

Daily reports in the media currently about the eye-catching, so far, unexplained clusters of false-educated children. First, they were reported by the EXPRESS from Gelsenkirchen, then from Euskirchen. So an avalanche was unleashed. More and more parents go to the Public saying: “Yes, our child is affected. Also, we do not know what is the cause of the Dysmelia. We’re scared, too.“

Dysmelia: the Cologne family tells their story

Whether the current cases are related has yet to be established. Also, if there are conclusions to older children who have a shortening of the limbs. A fate, however, share all the family: life with a disabled child is a big challenge. Family Günther of Cologne-Vingst tells her story. Photo: Complains

The Cologne-based couple Mary and the German Günther with dentures, family photos and legal documents. They fight for Pain and suffering and damages.

Dysmelia: prostheses in the hallway

“Mama, Thirsty!” says Milana and engages with your small upper arms after a drinking bottle with the juice and lifts her expertly on the mouth. Then she crawls on her little legs through the kitchen and disappears from the television in the living room, on the Couch. In the hallway of their small, flesh-coloured prostheses, with white gym shoes in it.

Children without hands and feet: Dysmelia in Cologne-Kalk

A Moment of silence will remain, as their parents remember the Moment that would change everything. It was the 9. March 2016 at the Evangelical hospital Kalk. “Don’t Worry, you get a small, sweet girl, my wife said the doctor to me,” says Maria (35), the mother. “We wished with all our hearts for a second child. The anticipation was huge.“ Then the shock after the C-section.

Children malformations of all extremities have

The child had deformities in all extremities. “I couldn’t talk,” said father German (41). “It all came so unexpectedly. We were prepared for anything. We were shocked and stunned.“ And the mother says: “I have only cried. After the sadness came the question of How this should all go now? How are we going to do? And what are the reasons for this damage?“ But nobody knows so far exactly. Photo: Complains

Milana can handle, in spite of disabilities is good with your water bottle.

Children without limbs: daughter came to children’s hospital

Milana was just two hours of your hospital Odyssey began. For a more detailed investigation was transferred to the children’s hospital Amsterdamer Straße, then back to lime. The mother to breast-feed her child, afterwards always drove. After a few months the Baby came out in a Bonn hospital – in the care of orthopaedic surgeons. The different leg lengths had a deformity of the hip will result. There will be regular inspections followed, as well in the children’s hospital. Added to this were the multiple trips to Bavaria, in a special clinic with a prosthetic workshop. The parents, both work, invested every year, a large part of your vacation.

Inclusion: day-care centre for disabled children

“Because Milana is growing and your body is changing all the time, we always need new prostheses and orthoses,” says the mother. “We also go every week to physical therapy, so that your muscles will be strengthened.” Clear that your daycare center is characterized by inclusion. There, the small blonde pulls out tuft of the prostheses, and plays happily with the other children. Quite normal, quite natural. The Small, telling the mother would completely circumvent at ease with your daughter.

Dysmelia: Stunned about Gafferin

Uncomfortable, the adults were often: “When we were eating ice cream, suddenly an elderly woman next to us, the Milana staring at her and only said: Oh my God, that poor Baby! Oh, God, oh, my God!“ The prompt, please move on and leave the family alone, not to the Gafferin: “she ran a few yards, turned back, then stood again in front of us and said again: Oh God, that poor Baby, oh God!”

Disabled child: fear of Doctors

Milana is also very suspicious and anxious. So many strange people, large or small, staring at her – wordlessly, or with pity. So many doctors, you want to examine in sterile, cold rooms, and touch. “Before the Doctors in the big white coats, she has always been afraid,” says the father. “Understandable.” Fear of the parents but the future with her in all of his extremities disabled child. How to go to your daughter later, alone, eat, get dressed, go to the toilet? How to learn to write, do Sport?

Dysmelia: For always a care case?

It will forever remain a nursing case? “We care to get money, which helps us a little. All of the clothes, i.e. pants, Jackets, or sweaters still need to be trimmed once in a change in tailoring and there,“ says the father. To find “alone shoes, in the your dentures fit, without immediately slipping out, is not easy.” In order to be skilled for life, met the family with a Cologne thalidomide-Damaged. The explained how he grew up with the malformations of the Arm, as he has mastered the everyday life.

Dysmelia: family turns lawyer

“Our daughter is not a social event – and we want to be by you are not a social case,” says the mother. “I’m not ashamed of you. I’m so proud of you. We always want to be there for you.“ In addition to the fight in the everyday life of the brave Few from fencing a legal battle for compensation for Pain and suffering and damages. Because, in the view of your specialist lawyer for medical law for the attending gynaecologist must be before the twelfth week where an abortion had been possible, would have seen that the Baby has severe deformities. Allegedly, however, never anything to.

Dysmelia: the fear of abortion

Your lawyer Hans-Berndt Ziegler (67) says: “I’ve already processed many of such cases. It is the impression that some gynecologists malformations, but simply nothing to say of the trend. It is from an ethical and moral reasons, or because they do not want to appear as the doctor, the abortion advocates. The Lobby against abortions is very strong, and since it is branded every practice quickly.“

Mother: the child remains with the family

It would have been better, Milana abort? A difficult, hard question. The mother says: “we would have never done that. But the Doctors or the authorities should leave the decision to the parents. The child remains, finally, not in practice or in the office. It remains in the family. And the must then take care of everything, what we love to do also.“