REDFIELD — Although 7-year-old Chloe Jessen doesn’t speak, she knows what she loves. This March, she will get to meet someone she loves — Elsa, from the movie “Frozen,” at Disney World in Florida. Chloe was chosen as a Make-A-Wish child, and this was her family’s wish for her.
“She has her own little noises or babbles and she says a couple words. We are trying to teach her sign language,” said Chloe’s mom, Randi Jessen. “She can’t really tell us what she wants, but she loves Frozen. When it first came out she got the movie and she has loved it ever since. She doesn’t watch a lot of TV, but when that comes on she [gives it all of her focus]. So she has a lot of Frozen stuff.”
Chloe’s battle with health complications began at birth. Born with Down Syndrome, Chloe also battled heart and lung problems such as pulmonary hypertension. She had less than a 20 percent chance of survival at birth.
“She wasn’t breathing when she came out, but [the doctors] obviously saved her life,” said Randi. “I also had high blood pressure when I had her. I was kind of critical too, and they had to give me seizure and IV medications so that I wouldn’t have seizures from blood pressure. That lasted about a day, and then I got better. The next day after I had her, she wasn’t even 24 hours old, and she had to be flown to Minneapolis for chemo.”
Chloe had a type of pre-Leukemia. She was close to receiving a bone marrow biopsy, but after one month her blood counts went back up and she was sent back to Sioux Falls. She spent eight months in the hospital after birth before she was released to go home and she has been slowly but surely growing stronger since then.
“She just learned how to walk two years ago,” said Randi. “She is a happy girl and she has her bad days just like we all do. She loves to learn. She loves books. She loves people. She loves to be interacted with, just like any kid.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE JESSEN FAMILY
Members of the Jessen family of Redfield, are planning a visit to Disney World next spring, from the Make-A-Wish Foundation, for 7-year-old Chloe. From the left are Connor, Randi, Chloe, Cully and Matt Jessen.