When Maya was born, she was only at 26 weeks. A typical baby is born at 40 weeks. She only weighed less than 2 pounds and was so small her father could put his wedding ring around her tiny arm.
The first three months of her life were spent in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. When she finally got to come home it was a big victory, as she had beaten the odds. Little Maya was like another child, happy and healthy, but it became apparent she wasn't progressing through milestones as hoped. She hadn't even began crawling. Once realized, she received early intervention and started physical therapy.
At 16 months she learned to crawl. At 20 months she started walking with a walker. It was then thought that Maya could possibly have Cerebral Palsy. A diagnosis didn't come until she reached 22 months and had an MRI done, where it was confirmed that Maya had Cerebral Palsy.
Cerebral Palsy causes painful tightness in the legs, making the simplest movements extremely difficult for Maya. But no one works harder than Maya, she works hard during physical therapy, nothing stops her. She keeps trying and never gives up, and that's why her family calls her "Mighty Miss Maya."
Watch Maya's important milestone here: