“Our daughter Mari was born with cerebral palsy. She was born 3 months early. I had a subchorionic hemorrhage, which is a thin lining in the uterus in my placenta, where it’s a weak membrane. This can lead to miscarriage. For me, the bleeding resolved and healed on its own. I was 24 weeks along when my water broke, but I was able to hang on to her for an additional 2 weeks. She’s never been able to walk on her own. She understands that her brother, who is 22 months older, is doing more, and she’s being left behind because there isn’t enough programs for her. The Miracle League will be nice because it’s all included. It’s not just for families with special needs. It’s going to be Mari and her brothers Aidan and Alex, and her younger sister Mya in the future. It will be a family activity that we can all do together. This really is a huge opportunity. With the baseball field, it will be accessible to her wheelchair, so she will actually be able to push herself around the bases. She bats. We pitch to her. She can hold onto the bat herself. It’s good for her hand/eye coordination. Her PT says it’s excellent muscle memory. We get what the Miracle League is trying to do for these children and the families who need this group atmosphere to make these connections. Whether it’s on the field or off the field, it’s just great. Mari is a 6 year old girl who wants to go go go. The Miracle League gives her an opportunity to do the things that every kid wants to do. The fact that she’s a part of it, 10 years from now, she’ll recognize that this was pretty cool.”