Mikayla’s briliant Christmas moment
LOOK AT 6-YEAR-OLD Mikayla Bruce, of Dublin, and you see a girl whose mom describes her as a “live wire” — a happy, active child. But look a little deeper, and you’ll be surprised to find numerous physical scars on a little girl who, until quite recently, was essentially fighting for her life.
Mikayla’s health battles started when she was just two weeks old, when she developed a serious infection that resulted in part of her small intestine having to be removed. The long-term intravenous medication and nutrition that followed led over the following months to a severely damaged liver.
What followed were months of hospital stays, more medical procedures and days when her parents weren’t sure if their daughter was going to make it. It was during these trying times that Mikayla was also added to the list of critically ill Make-A-Wish Foundation children. Mikayla wanted to visit Walt Disney World in Florida, but would have to overcome a lot of hurdles for her doctor to give his OK.
Fast forward to April 2008. The little girl with the very positive attitude underwent a successful double transplant, receiving a new liver and small intestine.
Over the next several months, as her little body adapted well to the transplants, all of the tubes and the colostomy were removed and Mikayla bounced back.
