Just seeing Iyla reminds us that she’s a miracle, having survived medical setbacks that diminished her odds of even making it through her early life. Her rare condition, abbreviated MOPDII, not only left her body undersized, but also restricted her head from expanding normally as she grew, which in turn caused several other resulting complications. Despite the odds, Iyla was in good care, having been adopted as an infant by Pam, a 70-year-old retired nurse who has taken on around a dozen children with specialized needs over her years. Pam admits she wasn’t even sure Iyla would make it those first couple of years, since Iyla needed almost 24-hour care and Pam only got an hour or two of continuous sleep then, but through multiple surgeries and persistence, Iyla is now twelve and "feisty" as Pam calls her.

Pam, herself, has had heart bypass surgery and was unable to handle the heavy steel ramps allowing Iyla’s motorized chair to be loaded into the family van for outings, so donors to Courageous Faces Foundation provided Pam with an 11-pound, carbon fiber portable ramp. It was strong enough for the weight of a motorized wheelchair, but light enough for Pam to maneuver easily by herself.

Now Iyla, and her adopted family have a new freedom not possible without generous Foundation donors who responded to a vital need.