Meet Mia

I suppose a story like Mia's deserves to be told, but finding the right place to begin is difficult. My pregnancy with her was a whirlwind of ultrasounds, specialists and panic. At 20 weeks, I was diagnosed with a chorioangionoma, a rare tumor that had attached to my placenta. Further testing revealed that our baby was missing part of her brain near her cerebellum. The prognosis we were given was grim: she would never walk, probably never talk and would most likely be severely mentally retarded. We were encouraged to abort our precious baby, something we would never consider. We continued the pregnancy with weekly appointments, but were warned that our child was at high-risk for fetal heart failure. At 28 weeks, my water broke and Mia Grace Troxel entered this world a deep shade of blue and completely sepsis. She was transported immediately to a NICU where she spent more than three months healing, recovering and growing. We were able to bring her home right before Christmas that year, but our journey was only beginning.

Mia was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder called Dandy Walker Malformation. Mia is missing the posterior side of her vermis, compromising the "communication" between her cerebellum and the hemispheres of her brain.

Being born a micro preemie complicated her diagnoses. At three months of age, weighing only five pounds, Mia started therapies through Indiana's early intervention program, FirstSteps. Still unable to assess her mental capacity, therapist worked on her fine and gross motor skills weekly, eventually adding developmental and speech therapies. Mia also had several other health conditions that required numerous specialists, interventions, tests and a few hospital stays.

As Mia continued to grow and get stronger, we soon ruled out any sort of mental retardation. Mia continued to struggle with gross motor skills, and eventually needed leg orthotics and a specialized walker. She walked unassisted for the first time at 27 months. It was on Thanksgiving Day, and it will be a day I will always remember. I could still hear the doctor telling us that she would never walk, talk or function, and on that day all of those assumptions were proven wrong. But the journey was far from over.

We were aware that Mia was only eligible for the First Steps program until age three, and we knew that she would not be finished with therapy by then. I set out on a quest to find a solution but was quickly frustrated when I realized that most therapy programs offered were not going to be a good fit. Mia's gross motor delays needed something unique, something that could help her mimic and feel a human gait pattern. After researching on-line and talking to several therapists, I discovered the tool of hippotherapy (using the movement of a horse as a treatment tool within physical, occupational or
speech therapy). In Mia's case, a horse could be used to mimic a human gait pattern, build her core muscles and help her connect those feelings of balance. I was elated to find out that we had a pediatric rehabilitation clinic using this tool in our own community -- TherAplay.

After jumping through hurdles with insurance and First Steps, it became apparent that the only way Mia was going to be able to do therapy at TherAplay was for our family to pay cash for the services. I was disappointed, but determined that this was the best place for Mia to be. I applied for TherAplay's
Fee Subsidy Program, praying that we would be accepted. After all the paperwork was filed and reviewed, we were accepted and Mia started therapy once a week.

By the time Mia turned three, she had been receiving therapy at TherAplay for six months, making the transition out of First Steps much easier. We had a place to go to continue Mia's progress. Through TherAplay, Mia has not only learned to walk better, she has learned how to balance on one leg, jump over obstacles, ride a bike and play simple physical games. With each milestone met, I see the benefits of such a unique and wonderful therapy in Mia's life.