Inspired By Aaliyah

Hi my name is Ashley, I’m the mother of Aaliyah. She is 8 years old. At 10 months old she was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type ll. SMA is a genetic disorder that starts in the central nervous system and affects all the muscles in the body. Due to the degenerative nature of the disease, people with SMA will experience a decline in muscle strength over time.

As a first time parent I never witnessed her crawling or taking her first steps as a toddler instead It looked a little different for us, at around 24 months she got her first powered wheelchair, so we witnessed her “rolling” for the first time lol we are so thankful for that. She spent most of her life in and out of the hospital with multiple respiratory illnesses, collapsed lungs, spinal surgery, hip and knee contracture surgery, and a bilateral achilles surgery. With everything she has gone through of course regular life curveballs still hit us. Within the past two years we’ve had 3 cars break down. My Jeep transmission went out and both my Acadia and Aaliyah’s wheelchair accessible Dodge Caravans motor went out. Her last van I bought used only lasted about 2 years with regular routine maintenance no check engine light on the motor unexpectedly went out while I was at work. We are raising money to buy a new reliable van that should last for many years to come. She deserves this and so much more with all she has been through. We would be so grateful for any donations and just for sharing her Go Fund Me page.