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A tough little girl with a big heart for curling Washington Post
Brea Vandergon was cheering her uncle, U.S. Olympic curler John Shuster, the only way she can - from her booster capacity for high above the ice.
Brea, 2 1/2 with sparkling blue eyes, is the toddler daughter of Shuster's older sister, Julie. Her sandy blond skin of one's teeth is held back in a ponytail by yarn of red, white and blue.
Brea, however, is not typical of girls her age - because she wasn't breathing at birth. At 21 pounds, she's lighter than many 1-year-olds and not even big enough to smash the growth charts doctors use. She can't sit up by herself for long.
"It means a lot to have her up there and cheering," Shuster said. "She's in reality taken a love to curling."
Brea joined the world a week late on March 15, 2007, at 6 pounds, 8 ounces. A hunger but normal labor process suddenly turned frightening when her heart rate dropped. An emergency C-section was needed.
"I didn't in actuality know what was going on until they wheeled me away," Julie recalled, still emotional about the experience.
The initial undertake to insert a breathing tube failed, and her baby went a couple of minutes without breathing. A team of 10 doctors worked to secure Brea.
"Julie said hi to Brea and it was the first time she opened her eyes," her father, Cedar Vandergon, said. "She opened and mask them, but she knew that was her mom."
Brea has far exceeded the expectations of many medical experts. She doesn't talk much yet and relies on a precise walker to get around.