This beautiful young lady is Angel.  Angel is a vibrant eighth grader who is always smiling and is quite the social butterfly.  Those who know her well say she has never met a stranger and loves socializing at school and in the community. 

This cheerful fifteen-year old is the middle child to two other siblings, her older sister    Brianna (19) and her younger brother Eddie (12).  Brianna and Eddie play a very big part in Angel’s life as they help her parents meet her every need.  Angel reciprocated the love, supporting her older sister in cheerleading and her brother through both football and baseball seasons.

Angel was born with Schizencephaly, which is a rare congenital brain malformation in which abnormal clefts form in the cerebral hemisphere.  Schizencephaly is categorized as a developmental birth defect affecting the left hemisphere of the brain leading to impairment of speech, mobility and development.  Angel is partially paralyzed on her left side.  She is wheelchair bound and needs full assistance to participate in activities of daily living such as getting dressed, bathing and transitioning from the chair to the bed.  the demands of caring for her become more and more physically challenging as she grows and taking care of her requires all hands on deck.  Her family considers it a privilege to care for her and enjoy seeing the dazzling smiles she gives them in return.