oriya keeps moving forward

A year ago, we asked you to give Oriya a chance. Today, we’re coming back to give her the chance to keep going. ❤️ Oriya is a little girl with a life story far too big for her young age. For those who don’t know her story: shortly after birth, Oriya experienced a devastating event that caused very significant brain damage. Since then, her life — and ours — has changed completely. Oriya is living with severe cerebral palsy, seizures, and significant neurological impairments. She needs ongoing treatments, rehabilitation, and almost endless work in many areas — motor skills, cognitive development, communication, eating, and more. But Oriya is so much more than her diagnoses. She is a small, strong and determined girl who continues to fight and surprise us every single day. In August of last year, we traveled with her abroad for an experimental treatment. It was her first round of treatment. We set out with a lot of hope, but also with many fears, because we simply didn’t know what would happen. We began to see the first signs of change during the treatment itself. About three months later, we started seeing more significant progress — and the changes continued to develop over time. Her seizures decreased significantly. She made significant motor progress in many areas. We also saw changes in her eating, cognitive understanding, and motor abilities. Oriya’s journey is still very long. She continues to face many challenges, and her condition is still far from ideal. But this time, we are coming with something we didn’t have before: We already know that Oriya can make progress. We saw it with our own eyes. And that gave us hope. Real hope. Now, a year after her first round of treatment, we are going back to continue the process. Oriya needs additional rounds of treatment — at least three more — to give her the opportunity to keep progressing and to reach as much of her potential as possible. Oriya is still young. Her brain is still flexible, and we believe there is a significant window of opportunity right now that could allow her to take more steps forward. Our goal is not to turn Oriya into a different child. Our goal is to help Oriya become as independent as she can be and give her a somewhat easier life. Because for us, every little step means the world. Every new ability. Every little thing she manages to do a little more independently. Every bit of progress that may seem small to someone else — is a huge victory for us! This fundraiser is part of Oriya’s rehabilitation. It is part of the journey we take with her every single day — to help her progress, strengthen her abilities, and give her the opportunity for a more independent and better life. We know the road ahead is still long. There will be more treatments, more travel, more hard work, and more challenges. But after seeing Oriya make progress, we simply aren’t ready to stop here. We want to give her the chance to keep going. And we need you with us. ❤️ Every donation, big or small, brings Oriya one step closer to her next round of treatment and to the opportunity to keep moving forward. Thank you to everyone who stood by us then, everyone who is standing by us today, and everyone who chooses to become part of Oriya’s journey. Because sometimes, one opportunity can open a door. We simply want to give Oriya the chance to keep walking through it. ❤️