Melinda was born on July 18, 2003. She lives in Sweden. In this photo, she is 5 years old. We found out that Melinda has Williams syndrome when she was 3. Her grandfather happened to watch a program on TV about Williams syndrome and he thought that Melinda looked a lot like the woman on the program.

I started to research Williams syndrome on the internet and learned that many of the symptoms fit our Melinda. So, we went to a doctor to have her checked out (no one had suspected anything previously) and it was confirmed through the FISH test. It was good to find out why Melinda is late in developing, doesn't resemble me or her father, why she had certain problems as a baby. and so on.

Melinda is a very sweet girl who is much loved by her family and other people. So far she is very healthy, too. She enjoys music, dancing, running, books, animals, and playing with her big sister, Melody, and little sister, Michelle.

Ulrika Freeman, Melinda's mother -- ulrika.freeman@telia.com.