Dana Charles, a St. Croix mother, is asking the Virgin Islands community for their support in voting her daughter Leiyani Rose Felix as the next Baby of the Year 2024.
Almost 4-month-old Leiyani, who was born prematurely, has a congenital limb deformity in which she is missing her left hand and a part of her forearm. Her mother discovered it during a routine ultrasound with her doctor.
Charles said, “Her arm was caused by something called an amniotic band. It’s the amniotic sac that a baby is in the inner lining. It had a ripple rupture, creating a strand and those strands would stick to the baby, and it cut off circulation and prevented the arm from developing like it should as the baby grows in the tummy.” According to the Boston Children’s Hospital, website amniotic band syndrome affects about one in every 10,000 to 15,000 pregnancies.
Even with her disability, this does not discourage Leiyani as she brings joy to her mother’s life every day with her silly faces and cute little mean mug. “She’ll look at you with a mean mug or a side eye and you’re like, who are you side-eyeing? It’s just so silly,” Charles said while laughing. “She loves her tummy and now she’s saying her oohs and ahs,” she said.
Charles said that she first heard about the competition while scrolling through social media but did not pay attention. It wasn’t until a friend of hers reached out to Charles about the competition she decided to enter.
The grand prize winner of the competition will get to premier in “Good Housekeeping” magazine and receive a $25,000 prize that can assist with Leiyani’s medical needs.
Leiyani, who is in the quarterfinals, was leading in first and has now taken the second spot as of Saturday evening. If she successfully gets through, she will then move on to the semi-finals.
Interested voters have until Thursday to lock in their vote for the semifinals. To vote for baby Leiyani click here.
