“As He Was Passed to Me, I Fell in Love.”

At her 20-week ultrasound, Rosie Higgs learned that her unborn son might have amniotic band syndrome — a rare condition in which strands of tissue in the womb can wrap around a baby’s limbs and stop them from developing properly.

The scans suggested Henry would be born without both legs and with only one arm.

Ending the pregnancy was raised. Rosie later said she never doubted her decision.

“There was no doubt in my mind that I was keeping him.”

Henry arrived on 13 May 2020. He had no legs, one arm, and a hand with fused fingers.

When his father placed him in Rosie’s arms, the fear she had carried for months disappeared. She simply saw her son.

“As he was passed to me, I fell in love.”

As Henry grew, he began reaching the same kinds of milestones his family celebrated with any child. He learned to lift objects, roll over, babble constantly and play with his older brother and sister.

Then surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital separated the fingers on his hand. Afterward, Rosie said Henry could pick things up more easily and even feed himself. The family also connected with Reach, an organisation that supports children with upper limb differences.

Henry’s body may work differently. His mother never wanted people to look at him and see only what was missing.

“He might not have all of his arms and legs, but he’s absolutely perfect to me.”

Sometimes parents spend months fearing what life will look like. Then their child arrives, and suddenly the diagnosis is no longer the first thing they see.

What do you think Rosie’s words can teach us about the way we look at children born different?

Sources: The Mirror; Daily Mail; Wales Online; Harrow Times; interviews with Rosie Higgs (Harrow, London), 2021. Story of Henry Higgs, born 13 May 2020.