Namine Olivia Eiche was born on July 15, 2008 with a double-inlet left ventricle heart defect; Pierre Robin sequence, a condition that resulted in a regressed jaw and a partial (U-shaped) cleft palate; caudal regression syndrome (also known as sacral agenesis), which damages the growth of the tailbone and legs, also giving her clubfoot; and scoliosis.
Ellen Stumbo (whose blog you should be reading anyway, she’s excellent) writes about her negative experience in attempting to enroll her daughter who has Down Syndrome in dance class. (As usual, I have plenty to say on the topic too.)
Namine learned to serve in her tennis lesson, and then played (and won) a match against her coach. (Ten points to the Hogwarts house of your choice if you got the reference.)
A little bit about Namine’s leg braces. The more you know
A wheelchair is not a restriction — it’s a tool for movement and living. It is society’s lack of access that is the restriction.
Jason Clark
We met with Namine’s cardiologist to discuss some concerns.
The kickoff event for the Milwaukee Ballet’s Tour de Force program was today. Namine and her friends from the Glissade class performed their dance again. 
Namine has started to learn moving and hitting the ball in her adaptive tennis class.
Namine finally had the last tooth pulled, removing the final roadblock to getting her complete braces.
Namine performed with her classmates at a fundraising event for the Milwaukee Ballet.
Namine recently got fitted for new AFOs. She used them for the first time in therapy today.
