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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Asha Dore

My daughter’s health was a mystery. The answer was on the other side of the world

a painting of a mother holding her baby
‘She has a community. You just haven’t met them yet,’ Maggie’s pediatrician said. Illustration: Xiao Hua Yang/The Guardian

Right after my daughter, Maggie, was born in 2012, she held her hands clasped together against her chest. “Like she’s praying!” a nurse said in a singsong voice.

But when the pediatrician walked in, the mood changed. “Praying?” she asked, her voice tight. The nurse and I stepped back while the pediatrician gently moved Maggie’s limbs, testing how much they could straighten or bend. While some tightness in the hips or knees can be normal for a newborn, Maggie’s joints were unusually tight and her limbs could not straighten all the way.

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