San Marcos Girl, 3, Celebrates First Birthday at Home After Spending First 2 in Hospital

A remarkable milestone was marked at the Smith residence as 3-year-old Addison celebrated her birthday at home for the very first time.

“This has been a dream of ours for three years now and to be able to celebrate it with all of our families and friends and everyone who has been involved in supporting her, it's really special,” said Aliesha Smith, Addison's mom.

Addy spent the first two years of her life at Rady Children's Hospital fighting to survive.  

“There have been so many times when we didn’t necessarily know if it was going to happen,” said Chris Smith, Addison's dad.

She was born prematurely and had several major health setbacks since the moment she was born, including chronic lung disease. But her parents never left her side.

“It boiled down to faith,” said Chris Smith. ‘"And we have a great group of friends, family, and even people we didn't know and haven't met, really came together and lifted us up when it was looking pretty grim.”

Then in April, Addy was finally released from the hospital. Friends and family gathered to celebrate.

Now eight months later, the toddler is celebrating her birthday the way it should be, surrounded by her loved ones.

“It's a day that for three years we’ve looked forward to," said Chris Smith.

With the holidays around the corner, the Smiths say there’s no better present than having her home.

“We’re so excited both of our kids are home and we’re going to be together as a family, waking up Christmas morning and being able to share it with our kids and not have to do it at the hospital," Aliesha Smith said.