Joy.  Firecracker. Ms. Personality.

Hailey has spent her fourteen years defying expectations.

When she was 22 months old, a doctor once told us that “years from now, when she begins to show signs of walking,” she would require myriad assistive devices and have limited mobility. As if on cue, Hailey stood up and walked across the room.

“I have no idea how she is doing that,” he said at the time. We wonder what he would say today if he were to see her on stage at her ballet recitals, balancing on one leg with a beaming smile on her face.

He would not be the first medical professional to underestimate Hailey’s potential, and he was far from the last.  Having reviewed her rather extensive chart, multiple doctors have openly questioned whether they had the right patient after meeting her for the first time. 

Hailey has a unique and complex chromosome abnormality that has led to dozens of diagnoses including sacral agenesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, severe asthma, and epilepsy.  She has had more surgeries than we care to count, and it takes a pharmacy’s worth of medication and a delicate schedule of treatments, food, and rest to maintain her health.

You’d think she would get tired of the seemingly endless drill, but Hailey will tell you that she loves being a patient … mostly because it gives her a fantastic opportunity to charm the staff!  She brings joy to everyone she meets, and a healthy dose of “teenage sass” to her parents and caregivers. 

We have a number of big goals for our children, but our top priority has always been that they have more fun their lives than hospital visits. Hailey’s providers often struggle to keep up with her while swimming at the pool, exploring the zoo, or soaking up the magic at Disney World.  We are fierce advocates for her childhood, but Hailey is her own best advocate for independence!

But we could not do it alone. Easter Seals has been a huge part of Hailey’s success story.  Her therapists in the Children’s Therapy Program are all creative, loving, and talented professionals.  They bring the perfect balance of patience, structure, and playfulness to keep Hailey achieving her goals while having fun.  She is truly an Easter Seals success story, and she regularly enthuses about her wonderful providers. 

Ever since her toddler days of putting slime in her hair and painting the floor, Hailey has always been an artistic child.  With the help of her speech therapists, she has pushed through apraxia and other speech issues and joined a choir.  Despite the dismal prognosis from doctors early on who expected her to live much of her life in a wheelchair, her PT sessions have helped her learn to walk and move gracefully, and she is now enjoying spending time with friends in her weekly ballet classes – not to mention daily freestyle dance shows for friends and family.  Having worked hard for so many years to read English, she decided she was ready to move on to Spanish.  Once Hailey decides to do something, her team just has to figure out ways to support her because she WILL do it! 

We are so very blessed to have had such a wonderful support team in our corner for Hailey and her brother, and they have done an amazing job in helping our kids unlock their potential to be a part of the world and experience it with joy. We can’t thank them enough for what they have done for our kids, and can only hope to help pay it forward in any way that we can.

- Hailey’s Parents

Lucyana was born at 26 weeks in 2022, with 126 days in the NICU before coming home. Her NICU nurses called her “Miss Don’t Touch Me”. If you were wondering, that is still very true; she is independent and wants to do everything on her own. Every day is and continues to be a milestone. Every moment is a miracle, and every movement she makes is something we could only dream that we’d be able to see.

Lucyana, the most vibrant now three-year-old, has been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and despite her difficulties, approaches each day with joy and curiosity. She truly shows us something new each day, keeps us laughing, and strives for encouragement.

We have had our share of doctors and specialists, as well as therapists and support through ECI. It’s a journey we didn’t know we’d be on, but it’s our journey now, and Lucyana, if you’ve met her, is one of the most inspiring little people you’ll ever meet.

Lucyana can sit up on her own, but has never crawled or walked on her own. She has been practicing her walking skills for over a year now in her Gain Trainer, which we call her Walker. Her current move in her Walker is walking backward and, on occasion, kicking the ball around the house. She loves taking her walker outside and to the park. Each day, Lucyana is eager to practice taking steps while holding our hands and loves to go up and down the stairs; we get tired before she does!

Now at The Caroline School, we are incredibly lucky to have found a community and network of care that supports children with disabilities and their families. The dedicated teachers and staff provide tailored support that meets her needs, helping her to grow both physically and emotionally. They love her, encourage her, and celebrate her small victories. Their empathy and understanding truly make Lucyana’s world a better place.

Every day, Lucyana achieves something new. It’s a different kind of celebration for these small moments that we can forget come so easy to others. The encouragement Lucyana needs to strive and push forward will always be here from her family. We hope in our hearts, our angel can one day run in the park with her friends. Please join us at the Houston Zoo for the Walk With Me fundraiser benefiting an important stepping stone in Lucyana’s journey.

-Lucyana’s mom

Our son, Zion, is two years old and is the definition of strength and determination. From the moment he entered this world with a head full of hair, his journey has been filled with challenges that would break most, but not him. He was rushed to the NICU, endured cooling therapy, surgeries, and weeks on an oscillator and ventilator before we could even hear his first cry. From battling organ failure, pulmonary hypertension, fluid in his lungs, hydrocephaly, necrosis, blood conditions, vision impairment, and more, Zion refused to give up. After brain surgery, he was left with a scar and a shunt as reminders of his fight. Each step forward felt like a miracle. Zion began breathing on his own, transitioning from machines to a nasal cannula, and eventually removed it himself to demonstrate his readiness.

After being intubated for so long, Zion didn’t know how to latch and did not understand hunger cues. We worked with an NG tube while trying to avoid a G-tube surgery, and after going home, still tube-fed, Zion shocked everyone. Within two weeks, he was drinking from a bottle. Step by step, he learned what it meant to be hungry, and today he runs to his high chair with excitement, eager to eat his own food and steal everyone else’s too.

Doctors once warned us that Zion might be blind, but he underwent two more surgeries, one for his right eye to seal off blood vessels and one on his left to clear scarred tissue, dried blood, and repair a retinal detachment. Today, Zion can see with the help of glasses, even if he hates wearing them.

Zion also works hard with a team of therapists who describe him as expressive, stubborn, and sometimes difficult to work with, but always determined. Once his mind is set on a task, he won’t stop until he conquers it. ECI has played an amazing part in all of Zion's development and endurance. They have taken us under their wing and accepted us like family. Every therapist and representative we have had the pleasure of meeting has made it their ultimate goal to be as accommodating as possible. His grit and personality shine as brightly as his smile, reminding us that his name, meaning strength, refuge, and peace, couldn’t be more fitting. We proudly call him ‘Mr. Determined, because no matter the obstacle, he continues to overcome and inspire us every single day.

In his own little way, he has touched the hearts and souls of many who have had the pleasure of meeting him. With his go-getter spirit, undeniable love for life and GOD, and his complete focus and determination that he has set forth at such a young age, we could not be prouder. We know with all the support and love from ECI and Easter Seals, the sky is the limit for Zion.

Thank you, ECI! We love you!

From the Gonzalez Family!