Kadence Sek was born three weeks premature with blood clots in her brain and holes in her heart. “We almost lost her,” said her mother, Cassie Sek. Kadence is now 17 months old. Brain damage to her cerebellum means that her motor skills aren’t as developed as they should be. Kadence doesn’t have the sensation of hunger, and she doesn’t fully understand eating — she is fed five times a day through a gastrointestinal tube for now.