After giving birth to her baby, a mother couldn’t figure out what was going on because the room was so quiet. She was scared to death of what she might say to break the silence.

In 2018, Eliza Jamkochian Bahneman, age 36, and her husband, Erik, age 41, were thrilled to find out they were going to have a child after trying for 9 months.

Bahneman was so happy that she told some of her friends, her sister, and her sister-in-law about her pregnancy. They were all pregnant at the same time and their due dates were close together. The mom-to-be couldn’t wait for her baby to come into this beautiful world and be a surprise.

The baby girl did decide to leave the safe place of her mother’s belly, but she did it a month earlier than expected. Isabella, also known as “Bella,” was born in October 2018.

After 12 hours of hard work, this baby weighed 5 1/2 pounds when it was born. But what was meant to be a happy time ended up being sad.

Bahneman heard whispers and saw that the room was dark and quiet, which scared her. When she thought back on the time, she said:

“‘Why isn’t anyone thanking me? Why does my husband seem so lost and afraid? Why won’t my mom look at me?”

Then, Bella was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). After many tests and checks, the baby was found to have a rare genetic disorder called Treacher Collins. This keeps the bones in the face from growing in the right way.

Because of this, Isabella was born with a lot of problems, like not being able to hear and having a small mouth. So began a rough road filled with surgeries and last-minute trips to the hospital for emergencies.

Bella had to go to a lot of different kinds of treatment. This included speaking and occupational treatment, as well as music lessons for her hearing loss.

The mother wants to keep getting the word out about Treacher Collins disorder and teaching people about it. Overall, Bahneman wants to get people to treat people with this situation with kindness. After all, this is the only thing to do when you meet someone who is both unique and beautiful.