Bella's Story
Bella was only a newborn when she started having seizures. Her hometown hospital quickly realized Bella was facing a complex diagnosis, and that they weren't equipped to help her. She came to Duke at 3 weeks old after a referral from her doctors.When she was four months old, Duke gave her family a diagnosis, and started them on a lifelong journey.
Bella was diagnosed with mosaic trisomy 8, a chromosomal disorder of the 8th chromosome, which has a third copy on some of the cells (making it mosaic). This causes a wide array of issues from cognitive development to medical issues.
Bella’s primary issue is trisomy-related auto-inflammatory disorder (TRIAD), which can cause fevers, rashes, and ulcers. She also has nighttime leg pain, vision issues, and chronic head aches and stomach pain. She is seen by multiple specialists at Duke including immunology, hematology/oncology, ophthalmology, urology, and neurology. Her condition is chronic requires ongoing and lifelong management.
Despite all this, Bella is an active and happy nine-year-old who attends school, participates in gymnastics and dance, and loves Taylor Swift and working on her skincare routine. She wants to be a nurse when she grows up and is currently taking swim lessons.
Bella is also an inspiration to everyone around her, especially her older brother, Gio. Bella spent some time inpatient in 2018, near the holidays. Gio was five at the time, and was worried about the kids who had to spend their holidays at Duke. He decided to start a fundraiser to help support Duke Children's, first sharing his allowance money to get toys for the kids, and then expanding into selling lemonade.
Now, Gio and Bella sell their own lemonade at their family's restaurant, and their efforts and the support of their community keep growing. In 2023, Gio raised $11,000 for Duke Children's, with the funds going to support Child Life.
Bella's family is grateful for the care she receives at Duke. "Because of Duke Children's," says her mother, Tina, "I have the comfort of knowing I am heard ands he is taken care of by some of the best physicians."