- Marissa Anderegg was born with a severe brain injury.
- The Penrod family was granted guardianship of Anderregg in 2015.
- The couple got a wheelchair van for Anderegg with help from the Foundation for Community Betterment.
JACKSON TWP. − Marvin and Lori Penrod made a decision nearly 20 years ago that changed their lives and saved someone else’s.
The Penrods became “new” parents at a time when most couples are enjoying retirement.
It began with a work assignment for Lori Penrod, then a homecare and hospice nurse who took on the case of Marissa Anderegg, an 18-month-old in palliative care with Akron Children’s Hospital.
Marissa was born in 2003 with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, a severe brain injury caused by a lack of blood and oxygen flow to the brain. She also has epilepsy.
“The cord was around her neck,” Lori Penrod said. “She did not have paralysis. It’s my understanding that that came later due to an incident. When I started taking care of her, her aunt had custody of her.”