6 |December 23, 2016
Moffat County Locals
A Supplement To The Craig Daily Press
Family faith sees them through difficult times multiple body systems,” Yarmer said. “This history along with her physical exam made me concerned for a possible genetic disorder, such as a connective tissue disorder. I felt that a geneticist could be helpful in finding a diagnosis so that appropriate treatment decisions could be made.” Dr. Yarmer’s instincts would prove correct as tests at Children’s Hospital in Denver reveled that Aveahna has both a genetic disorder called Chiari malformation and the connective tissue disease Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Chiari malformations are structural defects in the cerebellum that most often occur during fetal development pushing the brain into the spinal canal and brain surgery is one of the treatments, according to the website of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, often referred to as “EDS” is a collection of heritable
The Klein family has adopted a warrior's attitude in the fight against the chronic diseases their children battle. Krissy stands behind 6-year-old Zavrick, beside them is 9-year-old Haleigh and 10-year-old Aaron, while Zach holds 7-year-old Aveahna. (Sasha Nelson)
In 2014, Zach’s work as a radiologist brought the family to Craig and The Memorial Hospital. By then they had been struggling for five years to find answers to Aveahna’s poor health. They believe the move to Craig was the best thing to happen to the family as it brought them under the care of pediatrician Dr. Kristie Yarmer and she brought them hope.
“We saw many doctors, she’s the only one who gave us any hope,” said Krissy. “She told us that something wasn’t right and that she couldn’t help, but she would find someone who could.” Yarmer works at The Memorial Hospital at Craig. “When I met Aveahna for the first time she had a fairly complex medical history. She came to clinic with a variety of symptoms which involved
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connective tissue disorders, according to the website of the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Both conditions create chronic pain, difficulty swallowing and central sleep apnea. “Many fall asleep and never wake up,” Krissy said. “I can’t imagine being 7 and hurting chronically all the time.” Aveahna has already had one brain surgery, but she seems a perfect princess with only a purple bedazzled neck brace hinting at her health problems. “You see a beautiful blueeyed girl. They don’t realize that the night before she’s been up all night screaming because her bones hurt,” Zach said. Both conditions are genetic and this year Aveahna’s older brother and sister both tested positive for Chiari. In late December, the youngest member of the family 6 year old Zavrick, will be tested. Family time has taken on a new level of importance for the Kleins.
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The beautiful blondehaired, blue-eyed baby girl looked like a tiny perfect princess, but she was battling a monster hidden under her skin and encoded in her DNA. She was only 18 months old when Craig girl Aveahna Klein started the fight of her life. And her parents confronted the greatest fear of every parent — a sick infant and a long line of doctors that were unable to provide answers about the cause. By age 4, the toddler had broken both of her legs, she had dropped off the growth chart, was malnourished, her liver was struggling and she seemed to have frequent headaches, said mother Krissy Klein. Krissy and her husband, Zach Klein, both grew up on the Western Slope. They met in Grand Junction, married and then started a family. They have four children: Aaron, age 10; Haleigh, age 9; Aveahna now age 7 and Zavrick age 6.