Lola Grace Hartley was born on April 28, 2006, arriving one month earlier than expected. She is widely recognized both for her unique family dynamic and for living with a rare neurological condition. Alongside her older sister Claire, Lola was diagnosed with microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormally small head and underdeveloped brain.
During Gwen's pregnancy with Lola, doctors estimated a 25% chance that the baby would be affected by the same condition as Claire. At 22 weeks, a sonogram revealed a significant developmental delay, and by the following month, Lola was officially diagnosed. Although initially shocked, Gwen and her husband embraced the news, reaffirming their love and commitment to their daughter.
Determined to create a positive environment for Lola’s birth, Gwen and her husband decided to treat the experience as normally as possible. They wanted to avoid the medicalized, emotionally taxing process they had gone through with Claire. Despite medical professionals conducting numerous tests to identify the cause of microcephaly, no definitive answers emerged.
In light of this, the Hartleys requested that the delivery team refrain from emphasizing Lola’s diagnosis. After her birth, they declined further diagnostic tests, believing that subjecting their newborn to invasive procedures was unnecessary, especially when they already understood the likely outcome based on experience with Claire.
Although sharing the same condition, Claire and Lola have experienced distinct developmental trajectories. Lola is able to eat by mouth, whereas Claire requires a feeding tube. Both girls exhibit muscle stiffness and increased muscle tone, common symptoms in individuals with microcephaly.
Seizure patterns also differ between the sisters: Claire has longer, less frequent seizures, while Lola experiences shorter seizures in clusters. Gwen shared that she was able to breastfeed Lola for two years. Today, Lola eats organic fruits and vegetables with a small spoon and drinks a goat’s milk formula from a bottle. She also has a sensitivity to foods and is prone to allergies, requiring her diet to be carefully managed.
| Net Worth 2021: | 5 million |
