Saving Mila

How one family is defying the odds to save their daughter.

This is the story of a family racing against time to save their little girl’s life.

Mila used to be like every young kid. She loved swimming and chocolate ice cream and singing her favorite songs. But when she was 4 years old, something terrible started happening. She would fall over and bump into things. She got stuck on words.

Eventually, little Mila was diagnosed with Batten Disease, a rare and devastating genetic condition. Batten Disease causes children to wind up bedridden and on a feeding tubes, suffering from seizures and cognitive impairment. Right now, there is no cure.

There is, however, hope: if Mila’s family can raise $1 million by September 30th, Mila can receive potentially life-saving gene therapy.

Other gene therapy trials have stopped or even reversed diseases like Batten, so Mila’s family is doing everything they can to get this best chance at saving their daughter’s life.

So far, more than 1,000 people from across the country (and the world) have stepped up to support Mila and her family in this race for a treatment. But time is running out, and every dollar makes a difference.

In a recent update, Mila’s mom Julia wrote this:

Despite the immense challenges she faces, Mila astonishes us with her endless smiles and laughter, reminding us how ALIVE and STRONG she still is! She giggles in excitement as she rides atop the therapy horse or splashes in the lake pretending to be a mermaid. And she never gets enough of her brother’s stories and jokes. What keeps us going is hearing the GREAT HOPE in the voices of the doctors working with us and the parents of kids in recent trials like ours.

Hope is powerful and life-affirming. Ultimately, though, it will take action and generosity from everyday people to save Mila and other children like her from Batten Disease.

Please like and share this post to help Mila and her family. #SavingMila