I just wanted to come in here to give some encouragement and hope! My daughter, Janessa, was born without a thyroid and has been on thyroid medication since she was 4 days old. Then, at 9 months, she completely stopped growing. She had her Stim Test and was put on growth hormone at 15 months of age! So many blood draws and doctor's appointments. In the beginning, it was extremely difficult. She would scream and cry at the sight of anyone who looked like a nurse or Dr. She hated her blood draws, etc. Her first medication was Humatrope, and she would cry with every injection. I thought this was normal, but then I realized it was not. There was a preservative in that medication that was hitting her. We switched to Norditropin, and she smiled the first time I gave her that injection and never cried during injections again. She also got to the point of smiling every time she got her blood drawn. I was so worried and concerned that she would not be able to live a normal life. At 8 years of age, she started giving herself her injections every day, and now she’ll be 16 in June! She is 5’ 1/2”, which is taller than me! She is active and happy and lives a completely normal and athletic life. She plays varsity softball and volleyball and has received awards in both sports! If you are at the beginning of this journey, just know that there is hope! 15 years ago, there weren’t groups like this to turn to and be involved in. Thankfully, there is now!