Paisley’s Story

As told by her mother

Paisley has gone through some really scary things. 

Paisley was a 24-week micro-preemie. She was just 1 pound, 12 ounces at birth. She had some severe brain bleeds, which caused hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy – eventually epilepsy, too.

Her first seizure was 45 minutes and it was very much life-threatening. Things changed for us.

When you’re a kid with hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy, you go through some really scary things. And honestly, you start to dread what’s coming.

Then we found A Kid Again. 
Giving Paisley the chance to look forward to something – something happy, joyful, and exciting – has made all the difference.

At A Kid Again, she gets to have fun.

She knows other kids will be there with wheelchairs and crutches. She gets to talk “shop” about her wheelchair, and compare decorations on her wheels, and just enjoy being around other kids who get it.

It takes her out of that mental space of “What scary thing is going to happen to me next?” and puts her into, “I can’t wait to show up to A Kid Again.”

One of our favorite moments happened at Kings Island. 
Paisley saw another little girl using forearm crutches, and she practically leapt our of her wheelchair – as much as a child with cerebral palsy can leap. She was so excited to go talk to her.

And that was the first time Paisley had ever gotten to do that. She had never been able to talk to another child about crutches, about her everyday life, about her experiences. That conversation meant the world to her – to have a moment of “hey, this person gets me. I can talk to this person about my life and experiences.”

At A Kid Again, Paisley’s just a kid. 
At A Kid Again, it’s not about her medical conditions. She’s just a regular kid – laughing, talking, connecting, and having fun.