Hannah

New York, USA

After years of misdiagnoses, Hannah was diagnosed with DeSanto-Shinawi Syndrome in February of
2018. Born in 2004, Hannah’s infancy and early childhood were a time when she had difficulty meeting
developmental milestones. She was diagnosed with low muscle tone early on and received
both physical and occupational therapy before her first birthday. In addition, she was dealing with other
medical issues as well, issues we would later discover were part of the diagnostic criteria for DeSanto-Shinawi. She underwent cleft palate surgery in 2008 and eye surgery in 2010.

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Hannah has continually struggled with academic, social, and behavioral issues. With the support of
many, she does her best to cope. Hannah can be the sweetest, funniest, and weirdest girl we know.
Thanks to her parents, she has complete understanding and usage of sarcasm (too bad they don’t test
for that)! She also loves music, watching strange videos on YouTube, and playing with her sister and
cousins. Hannah has taught us so much about ourselves, and what is truly important in life. Our love
and support for her knows no bounds.