Perhaps this Sunday, when families celebrate Mother's Day, most can pause and be thankful for the little things; you know, the blessings that make life simpler.

Zelene Turner, mother of three, can be thankful, although life has been anything but simple for the past 10 months. You see, Jayla Turner was born 10 months ago and it turns out she didn't have a thymus gland, which led to a diagnosis of DiGeorge Syndrome.

Justin Falls/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

From left, Jazmyne, 10, James and Jayla, 10 months, Zelene and Zariah Turner, 8, stand outside thier home.

Justin Falls/The Daily Advance (ENLARGE)

Zelene Turner holds her youngest daughter, Jayla, 10 months, Thursday outside her home on Swamp Road in Perquimans County. Jayla has had DiGeorge Syndrome since she was born.

"She can't fight off infection," explains Zelene Turner. "You've heard the story of the boy in the bubble, well it's sort of like that situation."

When Jayla first arrived at her Perquimans County home after birth, she started having seizures. Zelene took her daughter to one doctor, who referred her to another.

They determined that Jayla's T-cell count was irregular which meant she couldn't fight off disease. Eventually a doctor diagnosed the infant with DiGeorge and explained to Zelene and James Turner that their daughter would require a thymus gland transplant.

Without the transplant, Jayla might have died.

The family went to Duke University Hospital where a donor for the transplant was secured. A donor in this case is another child who is undergoing open-heart surgery.

The thymus gland is located behind the breastbone and a portion of it can be taken from the donor and given to another child like Jayla. It's important because the reality for a baby like Jayla is grim without the thymus gland.

"I'm thinking my baby was going to die because without the transplant she wasn't going to make it," explains Zelene.

While Jayla was undergoing surgery, and recovery, the family stayed in the Ronald McDonald House in Durham. In fact, right after the successful transplant surgery, Jayla was feeling well and, Zelene says, ready to play.

The family is still frequenting the Ronald McDonald House while Jayla undergoes additional tests to make certain she's in the clear, and out of harm's way. She'll have a biopsy this month that should tell the family how well the procedure has affected the baby.

For now, Jayla must be kept away from the general public. She is vulnerable to any disease that may be floating about. Zelene says the child must be kept in "complete isolation all of the time," but she can be outside as long as people stay an minimum of three feet away.

"She could catch a common cold and if she gets sick enough, it could kill her," explains Zelene. "Whatever you do, you wash your hands."

There is a great deal of hope for Jayla, however. Zelene says the oldest thymus gland transplant survivor is now 14 and doing well; and there are others, she says and it all spells hope for her daughter, yet the stress of getting to this place has been great and has had its toll on the family.

The entire family has been stressed and worried during the last 10 months and Zelene says it's been difficult for her two older daughters Jazmyne, 10 and Zariah, 8. She has wanted her girls to understand that while Jayla has been the primary focus for a while now, they're still special to their mother.

The community, church members, family and friends pitched in to help the family pay for some medical expenses not covered by insurance and Zelene is grateful to them all, she says. She says it's difficult right now because she's unable to work her job at Albemarle Hospital and husband James' job at the naval base in Virginia is becoming an expense necessity as gas prices go up.

Just the same, Zelene Turner and James are both people of faith, she says, and that gets the through these difficult times.

"I have to have faith and I have to pray," says Zelene Turner. "Support from my husband, family, friends and co-workers helps."