Mia's Surgery Support

Hello everyone and thank you for your consideration in my sister’s cause.

For those of you who don't know, Mia has a multifocal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) on the left side of her face. For the last 18 years Mia has battled this rare condition— an intricate, excessive development of blood vessels that few doctors are capable of fully treating. Her AVM will undoubtedly grow if it is left untreated, eventually putting her life at risk. We have finally found phenomenal doctors that are willing to take on her case in the near future. Each AVM is unique; Mia’s requires a multi-stage approach in which several surgeries are necessary to entirely and safely remove it. Life with an AVM has its own complications, but these have never held her back from successfully pursuing her education, athletics, and passions.

Mia is a senior and Advisory Board member in the STEM program at South River High School. Here, she leads a school organization known as Seahawks Saving Shorelines, which focuses on shoreline restoration in the Chesapeake Bay. She has competitively swam for the Naval Academy Aquatic Club over the past decade, and is a 4-year varsity swimmer for South River. From Crossfit to cross country, she wholeheartedly throws herself into anything she tries. Mia is the youngest daughter of a family that emigrated from war-torn Former Yugoslavia as refugees and is a proud first generation American. She will be attending college in the fall and is passionate about biological sciences. 

Mia is an avid member of the greater Annapolis community and we now ask this same community to show its support for her. In whatever way you know my sister, your contribution is a way to reciprocate the care and love Mia generously shows to others. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its many hardships, any donation is graciously accepted and does not go unnoticed. We want to thank everyone who has been or is becoming a part of her incredible journey.