Karli and her family first found out about DM when she gave birth to her daughter, Isabella, seven weeks early. Isabella spent the first three months of her life in the NICU, with Karli taking up residence at the hospital to be by her daughter's side. In order to attend to all of her daughter's needs, Karli left school, where she had been studying to become a medical assistant, and later finished her diploma online.
Isabella just celebrated her fourth birthday on October 31. Although she still uses a feeding tube and oxygen when she sleeps, thanks to all of her mother's love and sacrifice, she is beginning to show marked improvement. "Isabella is the love of her life," says Karli's mom Helen. "She's just doing what comes naturally - taking amazing care of her princess Isabella."