Hudson’s Story BY Mom Kaley Branch

Our son, Hudson Cash, was born on December 12th, 2018, at 12:14 p.m. (yes, we were that close to a 12/12 at 12:12 birthday!) by planned c-section at Hillcrest Medical Center in Waco, TX.

It was love at first sight.

The first 3-and-a-half weeks at home with Hudson were idyllic. Yes, our sleep schedules were disrupted, and sure, dirty diapers ain’t exactly my idea of heaven, but we truly felt like our little world suddenly became the stuff of miracles.

Then, just a few days before celebrating one month on this earth with our Huddy, my husband and I underwent an intense baptism into a new, unimagined kind of parenthood. Our son was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH).

Following his second newborn screening (sometimes, the first test done at the hospital isn’t entirely accurate), I received a phone call from our doctor that some abnormalities appeared on Hud’s test. Soon after, we arrived at the clinic for a repeat screening. We felt in our hearts that it had to be a false positive. “He seems totally normal! He’s so happy; he eats well, he has no physical abnormalities. This just has to be a mistake,” we assured ourselves. An hour later, we learned that it wasn’t.

Cue the tear-filled 40-minute drive to the ER of McLane Children’s Hospital. My hands were shaking as I gripped Hudson’s tiny hand in the backseat of the truck. My eyes, bleary with tears, stayed focused on him the entire ride while Taylor made worried phone calls to our families from the driver’s seat. “Don’t Google CAH,” our doctor cautioned before we left. “Just hurry up and get to the hospital.”

CAH is a disorder that affects certain hormones in the adrenal gland. While 1 in 64 people are actually carriers of the gene, only 1 in roughly 16,000 are affected. Hudson has the more severe form of CAH, called classic salt-wasting. In addition to not producing the hormone cortisol, which controls our body’s response to stress, sickness, and injury, he also doesn’t retain sodium, which affects his electrolyte balance.

The blessing in all this is that CAH is treatable and manageable! No, there is not a cure. In fact, because of the rareness of the disease, awareness for CAH, and other adrenal insufficiency disorders, is minimal. That’s a scary thought. But with medication and consistent blood work, Hud can lead a normal life.

Our days look like this:

Around 7 a.m., Hudson takes two steroid medications, hydrocortisone, and fludrocortisone. The hydro is for his lack of cortisol. When we are sick, hurt, or even emotionally stressed, cortisol regulates our bodies and allows us to keep functioning. Since Hudson is unable to do this, he must take medication every 8 hours to mimic what our bodies do naturally. His second morning dose, the fludro, affects his sodium retention.

At roughly 3 p.m., Hudson takes his afternoon dose of hydro.

And again, this time at 11 p.m., he takes his nighttime dose.

Taking medication three times a day will be life-long unless a cure is found. Hudson must do this to survive. That’s a heavy sentence to write.

When ill or injured, we must triple his doses of hydro. If he is unable to keep his medication down orally, we must inject him with a shot of hydrocortisone. Afterward, protocol dictates that we immediately take him to the ER for IV fluids to address possible dehydration. Although we haven’t had to use the injection yet, we’ve come close.

Food poisoning can be deadly if not treated properly. So could a broken bone.

We travel with two bottles of medication and the emergency injection kit at all times. Even now, with Hudson 3-years-old and living an overall normal day-to-day life, I am still sometimes in disbelief. How can my bright, bubbly, active, and strong boy have a life-threatening disease? How could there be no cure?

For you, Hudson Cash, I will move mountains. I will never stop raising awareness for the trials that you may face. I refuse to allow a disease to define you. A bubble does not exist for you, my sweet son. You can do it all. I’ve seen doctors, athletes, teachers, and world travelers living full, beautiful, limitless lives with CAH. I will instill in you the positivity to move forward and the compassion to love others the way that we love you.

You are an abundance of blessings, my beautiful boy. Now let’s go live one dang good life together.

Guest post by Kaley Branch, Rare Mama to Hudson

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