Meet Kira

A Seven-Year-Old Adventure Enthusiast Defying the Odds with Better2gether

Seven-year-old Kira loves to be outside! Whether she’s hiking with her family or visiting the beach, moving, swimming, and splashing are some of her favorite activities.

As a baby, Kira experienced seizures and experienced her first hospitalization at only 9 months of age. Thankfully, she has only had sporadic hospitalizations since gaining seizure control. However, Kira continues to attend frequent therapies including physical, occupational, and speech.

Kira and her family don’t let her many medical appointments slow them down. “Kira is very adventurous,” shares her mom, Olivia. “She loves new places and “daring” activities, like rollercoasters, four wheeling, and trotting when horseback riding. She is also very loving and gives excellent cuddles.”

“Even though Kira is nonverbal, she is very expressive and will let you know very clearly what she likes and doesn’t like!” mom adds.

One of the things that Kira especially loves is spending time with her younger sister, Lyla. “We didn’t know how she would feel about going from being an only child to having a baby around, but she was so gentle and sweet when we brought her baby sister home,” Olivia recalls. “She also has a very close bond with her “Savta” (grandmother) who is one of her caregivers.

Kira’s family is so grateful they learned about Better2gether when they moved to Richmond from another state. “Better2gether has given us the opportunity to connect with and build community in a new place and find out about resources for ourselves as parents, for Kira, and for our entire family,” say Stephanie and Olivia, Kira’s moms.

One program that was particularly meaningful was the Better2gether Self-Care Mental Health Retreat. “Attending the Retreat was a great way for us to connect with other parents in similar circumstances who understand our journey,” Stephanie recalls. “It enabled us to take time for ourselves to think about our own needs, which can be so difficult when our children’s needs are always the priority.”

“Kira lives a happy and fulfilling life,” Oliva shares. “She does all sorts of things that non-disabled children do — go to school, ride a bike, go camping, horseback riding, paddle boarding, and more! Just about any activity can be accessible if people are willing to make it so.”