Our sweet Rita’Marie is a vibrant 6-year-old with the brightest smile, big brown eyes, and an imagination that lights up every room. She loves music, adventures, and simply being surrounded by love.

Rita’Marie was born at 32 weeks. She contracted viral meningitis at 3 weeks old in the NICU. It caused encephalitis, seizures and more. At just 1 year old, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (spastic quadriplegia) and faces many complex medical conditions. Her diagnoses through her 6 years of life include:

• Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) and Cortical Blindness

• Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS), a severe form of epilepsy

• Dystonia and other specified deformities in both thighs

• Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder and other psychological development disorders

• Pediatric feeding disorder (chronic), requiring G-tube feeding

• Dysphagia (swallowing difficulties)

• Mixed incontinence

• Obstructive sleep apnea (pediatric) and dependence on a respirator/ventilator

• Other chronic conditions affecting her lungs, eyes (chronic allergic conjunctivitis), and brain (encephalopathy).

Despite all these challenges, Rita’Marie is so much more than her diagnoses. She is non-verbal, but she communicates through her eyes, expressions, and sounds in ways that melt our hearts. She attends physical, occupational, vision, and speech therapies several times throughout every week, working so hard to grow stronger and engage with the world. She inspires everyone who meets her with her determination, resilience, and joy.

One of our biggest struggles as a family is transportation. Rita’Marie’s purple wheelchair is her freedom, but lifting and maneuvering it into a standard SUV has become increasingly difficult and unsafe as she grows.

A wheelchair-accessible vehicle would be life-changing. It would allow Rita’Marie to safely travel to her many therapy appointments, medical visits, and school activities, and most importantly, to simply enjoy family outings and adventures. She loves the outdoors without the constant worry and physical strain.

We are reaching out to our community for help. Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to giving Rita’Marie the independence and quality of life she deserves. Your support will not only ease a huge daily burden, but it will also open doors to more joyful memories and experiences for our little girl.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for believing in Rita’Marie and helping us give her the gift of safe, reliable and accessible transportation.

With much love and gratitude,

The Hutson Family