Indiana
Jillian Hooten
Co-HUB Leader
My name is Jillian Hooten and I’m a survivor of gastroschisis! I’m a Co-HUB Leader in Indiana and the first survivor leader for AAGF. I’m 20-years-old and want to learn more about gastroschisis and what others have gone through that I haven’t. I want more people to know how serious this birth defect really is. No family should go through this alone. I want to meet people born with gastroschisis and hear their story. I lost my hearing through gastroschisis. I was born on Decmeber 19, 1993, 9 weeks earlier than expected with my identical twin (she wasn’t affected) at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, OH. I was transferred (my dad came along with) and operated on at Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, OH and that evening the doctors put my intestines in a silo to protect them. On December 27, 1993, I went into surgery to get my belly closed up, had been on a respirator since birth, and was given 14 staples to close my belly. My parents didn’t get to hold me until almost a month later. I really want to give back, because I know what my parents went through and how supportive they were of me and continue to stand by my side through everything. I know what it is like to grow up with gastroschisis. I’m proud of my scar and I’ve got guts! Do you?