A Kentucky mom is spreading awareness about her daughter’s rare condition and pleading with the world to be kind. Chelsey Milby, 33, is the mom of three girls. Her youngest daughter, Armani, was born with lymphangioma, a congenital condition that leaves her with extremely swollen arms. She is known around town as “baby Hulk” for her bodybuilder physique.
Milby told her family’s story in a two-part TikTok series and said her daughter is a strong little girl and a fighter. Milby knew early in her pregnancy that something was “severely wrong,” but she had no idea the blessing headed her way.
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At first, doctors weren’t sure what was happening.
The mom of three explained that it took a while for doctors to figure out what was going on with Armani. When they told Milby and her husband that she had lymphangioma, they warned that Armani had “a zero percent chance” of survival. The news was heartbreaking.
As the New York Post reported, Milby told Caters, “When I found out, to be honest, I was devastated, I was heartbroken. I didn’t understand what happened, what went wrong, because I had two other healthy babies, and I cried every day. Every day, I asked God why.”
But, she added, she didn’t want to give up. “We never considered an abortion even though it was mentioned to us almost immediately after it was discovered there were some major concerns with our unborn baby, but we just wanted to know how we could help her when she was born,” she said.
It was a difficult pregnancy.
Milby explained on TikTok that she wanted to make it to 36 weeks, but her body just couldn’t take it anymore, and Armani was born via C-section at 33 weeks. Again, doctors warned that Armani would likely not survive even “five minutes,” but Milby kept her hope.
Armani was born crying, and Milby said it made quite the impression on everyone present at the birth. “Everybody in that room, I think, was crying, including me and her daddy,” she recalled.
Miraculously, Armani survived and is thriving.
Milby said she and Armani went to Cincinnati for treatment, and she did great, surpassing everyone’s expectations. Her condition is lifelong, but with medicine and surgery, lymphangioma is treatable, and she can live happily and normally.
Armani will have her first surgery around her first birthday to begin to remove the extra lymphatic vessels in her arms. “This baby has taught me to love the Lord, to be a better wife, to be a better mother,” her mother said.
Armani is surrounded by a loving community.
Milby said on TikTok that so many people have wrapped their family with love, and she is so grateful. She warned trolls to be kind and keep their mean comments to themselves.
“Blessing her health is well & her surgery is cosmetic & not life threatening emergency! She will get through it just fine! ❤️ ” one Toker wrote.
So many people agreed that Milby is doing a great job.
“you are amazing momma your composure dealing with people with who have the ability & ugliness to insult you is beautiful!," one comment reads.
And, of course, many people are praying for the family.
“my prayers for your baby girl and you please give us a update after surgery i love babys all babys i hope people will be kind to you and your babygirl,” another person wrote.
“Your miracle baby!! she’s the most precious little girl!! So thankful I came across your story & look forward to following her progress!” a follower commented.
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While rare, lymphangioma usually is not fatal.
The Cleveland Clinic explains on its website that lymphangioma makes up about 4% of all vascular tumors, is noncancerous, and is ordinarily harmless. Doctors can diagnose lymphangioma during an ultrasound, but it usually consists of much smaller cysts than Armani has. In cases such as hers, she must seek surgical treatment.
“There is no cure for lymphangiomas and they often become more noticeable with age. Lymphangiomas rarely go away on their own, so treatment might be necessary for your child if their cyst is large or located on a part of their body that poses a threat to their health. If your child has small lymphangiomas, treatment isn’t necessary and their cyst is part of what makes them unique,” Cleveland Clinic asserts.
