– What is your biggest hope for Madisynne?

– I want her to.

Oh gosh, I love you.

I just want her to be loved as much as she loves everybody.

She’s very loving, She’s such a sweet girl.

– Are you ready for your big interview? –

Yes – The first question, and this is a gigantic, humongous question: Are you ready for it? –

Yes – Do you want to be friends?

(Madisynne laughing).

– Yes – Pound it, Is it easy for you to make lots of friends?

Yeah, I have five friends.

– Five friends.

At the playground.

At the playground.

At the pool.

At the pool – And at – I think there was two at the pool.

No – Oh, no,

So these are kiddos that she might meet every once in a while.

Who are?

She’ll often wave, and when she gets a wave back, that’s her friend, And so they kind of hang out for a little bit.

They may swim together or swing together.

When I was at the pool he had a floatie –

He had a floatie on The one who was at the pool.

Yeah –

Yeah, you remember him.

He was so sweet.

So her definition of friend is anyone she’s had the chance to hang out with, and that would return her social interaction.

Lots of times she’ll wave at a kid and they will be more puzzled or confused or react in a way, and they don’t necessarily wave back, And so that has been things that she didn’t love.

But when somebody does wave back, it’s a huge, bright thing, And that’s what we focus on more.

– I want to tell you a joke.

– You’re going to tell him a joke.

Oh, I want to hear a joke.

– Why did the chicken cross the road?

– Why did the chicken cross the road?

– Why did the chicken cross the road? –

Because it had to go poop. –

Because it had to go poop.

Oh, my gosh Pee-Ew (both laughing) –

Anytime somebody waves back at her, she always turns and she’s like: “They said hello to me”.

And it’s like a really great moment, ’cause she, just like, wants to jump up and down and is so excited that somebody is just wanting to be your friend.

And that’s it.

– If somebody wants to be your friend, what should they say?

Hello – Hello –

Yeah – Hello, I’m Madisynne

And I’m an artist (Mom laughing) – Don’t do that – I didn’t say it.

Madisynne said it? –

No, you – I’m so confused.

Who said that?

Madisynne, or your mom?

Who said it? –

It was her – It was me.

Oh gosh – Is it true though?

Madisynne, Are you an amazing artist? –

Yeah, I am.

This is a flower – A flower – Did you make that yourself? –

Yeah, and I made the stem – Mm-Hmm, the stem –

And I made the petals all over the flower –

For each petal –

And I put a bee.

Here He’s drinking nectar, And then, right here, is all of the pollen.

Yeah, the pollen, and it’s drinking the nectar from the flower.

Exactly – That’s very cool.

I love that.

You added the bee. –

Yeah, and I made sure he could drink like a straw. –

To drink like a straw – Does your mom help people understand you sometimes?

Yeah –

What’s that like? –

Sometimes my mom doesn’t understand me. –

Sometimes my mom doesn’t understand me. –

Yeah – What is it like when your mom doesn’t understand you?

How do you feel? –

She’ll tell me to repeat it. –

Yeah, I’ll tell her to repeat it. –

Are you happy that your mom helps you? –

Yes – Yeah, Ah, you’re tickling me.

Ah, You’re funny – Is that a little dog? –

Oh no, your dog, You got me.

– I think some of her art isn’t just in the way that she creates art, but in the way that she creates friends and the way that she’s creative about talking.

– You’re eating my hand.

– Not me, my dog.

What’s that?

(Madisynne growling) (Chris growling) –

My doggy (Chris growling) –

They’re biting your whole finger off now. –

Oh no, my finger.

No, not my finger.

Ah, where’d it go?

The dog ate my finger.

Can you explain the way that Madisynne communicates? –

Yes, So oftentimes she prefers to speak with her mouth.

That’s the way she sees everyone else speak.

So she wants to do that.

For a while she was signing more than anything and using her tablet.

She has a tablet that she talks on, But as she sees that other kids don’t do that, she tends to also not do that.

So signing, drawing, talking her tablet.

So she will use whatever avenue she feels like she can, as long as she has the patience for it.

And sometimes she doesn’t have the patience.

So she’s like: “Nope, it’s fine, I’ll just talk about it later”.

Oh no, the dog’s eating my other finger.

Now I only have three fingers on this hand.

Now I only have two.

Now I only have one.

Now it’s just a fist.

Now it’s just a arm.

Now it’s just an elbow, Now it’s nothing.

Now I don’t have a head.

What’s going on?

I can’t even see.

Now I don’t have hair either.

What is Madisynne’s diagnosis?

It has a lot of names.

We call it a vascular anomaly or a Lymphangioma.

They’ve also called it cystic hygroma.

But vascular anomaly explains it best, because the reason her growth happened was because of the lymphatic fluid growing and causing the skin around it to grow around it as well.

So yeah, we found out about that when I was about 20 weeks pregnant at her 20 week scan, And then we knew that there was going to be a long journey.

At that point, that’s for sure.

– What was it like when Madisynne was first born? –

It was – I have to go Tt. –

Oh, you have to go Tt. –

Yeah –

Oh, okay, See you, in a second then She’ll probably flush.

It was a.

It was kind of a struggle, but it was so perfect for us.

We knew whenever I was 20 weeks pregnant at the anatomy scan that she was atypical, and so we kind of prepared and we knew We were going to doctor’s appointments pretty much every single week just to check on her, ’cause they were worried about her heart because of how large her mass was.

They weren’t sure if she was going to be able to actually sustain that. –

Nom Nom, Nom – Ah (Madisynne laughing) –

Nom Nom – Ah (Chris laughing).

Oh look, I regenerated. –

What a hungry dog.

– Thank goodness for modern science.

– It’s your turn.

My turn.

– It’s your turn – Rawr, Rawr, Rawr, Rawr. – Not my finger.

Rawr – My finger.

– You’re a goofball.

– Yeah – Does your mom make you laugh a lot? –

Yeah, Sometimes she actually like: I’m so happy that my cheeks hurt.

Yeah, sometimes your cheeks hurt from smiling too much.

Yeah –

Yeah – Especially when you showed up, she was smiling so big

Your cheek was starting to cramp Your smiling cheek.

– I have a scar right here.

– Mm-hmm. – Mm-hmm behind my ear.

Right here.

Yeah, your scar goes all the way behind your ear.

– That’s really cool.

Thank you for showing me that.

Yeah – What is the scar from? –

That was from her surgery.

She was two months old

And so she had a really impressive mass.

So when she was about two months old.

After some treatments, they got rid of a good portion of the mass.

They placed her trach tube – It was like that –

Yeah, it was pretty big.

You were good at growing it –

And I couldn’t open my eyes – You couldn’t open your eyes –

And this eye I couldn’t do it.

This eye I need a little help, and this eye I need a lot – It works a lot, that’s right, And your left eye has to get a little help,

Huh – Yeah – Yeah.

And so, before they had the surgery, her eyes were a bit more typical.

And then, with this side here, they got a little close

And they might have severed or pinched a facial nerve.

And so the left side of her face has a palsy and can’t move, But she makes up for it with her right side. –

It sounds like you’re really strong – I am – She challenges herself, that’s for sure. –

Look at – Whoa – Whoa, look at those guns – Please, don’t beat me up, please.

– I won’t – “I won’t”.

Good job, thank you.

Thank you for not beating him up.

– I won’t – You wouldn’t – I won’t – Well, I can tell you’re very kind.

– Yeah – Rawr, Rawr, Rawr. –

Ah – Rawr – Elbow first.

Oh, I got to do the elbow.

Yeah – Chomp chomp chomp.

– Bad dog.

No, no, no – Should I do your other arm now?

Yeah – Chomp chomp chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp chomp Chomp Chomp chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp Leg Chomp chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp Chomp chomp chomp face.

(both laughing).

Oh no, Where’d Madisynne go?

How old are you, Madisynne? – Eight – Eight – What grade are you in?

– Third – Third grade. –

Third grade.

– What is the third grade like?

– I don’t know –

She’s homeschooled, so about the same that it always is. –

Tell me about homeschooling.

– It is a joint effort between her and her, Gigi.

So I kind of get the curriculum together and Gigi is her teacher. –

What is it like to be Madisynne’s Gigi? –

Oh, it is all the things and all the emotions all the time.

(Gigi laughing).

But she’s my favorite person.

We’re best friends.

(Gigi laughing). –

What is your role within her life?

– We’re a community, so we’re all raising her together.

So when mom needs a break, here comes Gigi.

When Gigi needs a break, there’s Mom.

So yeah, we’re all together.

– What is the most important thing you hope to teach Madisynne? –

To be her own person, To not care what people say about her And to just own her strengths and her magic?

– Please, dogs, Please, don’t eat my face off, Please, We can be friends.

My nose, How will I smell My ears?

How will I hear My other ear?

How will I hear (mumbling)

My mouth?

How will I eat and talk?

What am I going to do My thumb, How will I do things that require an opposable digit?

(Madisynne laughing).

Do you like playing silly games? –

Yeah – Do you feel happy when you play silly games?

What are some things that make you happy?

Ooh – I like tickling, Playing ROBLOX with Poppop and Maddox, And

Yeah – Okay, tickling, playing ROBLOX, playing with Maddox and Poppop.

What is it like to have a brother?

– I like to do this. –

Do you love your sister?

Yeah – What do you love most about her? –

Her loves me. –

She loves you. –

Uh-huh – How do you know your sister loves you? –

Because we just wrestle and play a lot.

– You wrestle with your sister.

Yeah – I love it. –

Who wins when you wrestle? –

I do – I just absolutely lose. –

What’s your favorite thing about your sister? – Wrestling.

(Madisynne laughing).

Here I have a surprise for you, Chris. –

Oh, what is it? –

It’s a turtle. –

Whoa, That’s such a cool turtle. –

Erase, erase.

– Now, you’re erasing it.

Yeah, I am erasing your hand.

Oh, you’re erasing my hand.

Oh, where’d my hand go? –

Erase erase. –

Oh, where’d my arm go? –

Erase erase. –

Oh, where’d my elbow go? –

Erase erase.

My shoulder, Where’d my shoulder go? –

Erase, erase, erase. –

My face. –

Rawr. – Is the dog back? –

Uh-oh. – Rawr (Gigi laughing).

– Uh-oh, (Gigi gasping) – No, (Gigi laughing).

Does she ever play the dog game with you?

– No, this is the first.

This is just for you. –

Oh, cool, We have our own game, Rawr, Rawr, Rawr, Rawr, Rawr.

No, the camera (Gigi laughing).

My camera – Let me tell you the amount of Youtube she watches.

She’s ready.

(Gigi laughing).

Come, sit down now. –

Who’s your favorite Youtube channel?

Ah ha, It’s you.

(Gigi laughing). –

High five, Woo, (Gigi laughing).

(Chris Mumbling) – I’m going to draw it back on.

(Chris Mumbling) –

Oh, you’re drawing now. –

Back on – I can see.

I can see, I can talk Like this.

I can talk like this: I can smell.

(Chris sniffing).

I can smell.

Oh, I can smell, but like this, You drew my nose like this: Hey, it’s better than no nose.

What’s the biggest lesson you hope to teach Madisynne? –

A backbend – You want me to teach you the backbend That she’s perfect in every way In general, raising a daughter.

And I guess you just want your kid to feel like they’re awesome and not have all those worries.

And so, yeah,

I feel like she gets that right now and I want her to keep getting that.