Inspirational Stories
A Mom on a Mission to Advocate for Her Daughter
Avelyn (Avy) lives in Southern Indiana, spending her days outside with her siblings along with her animals–a cat, a dog, and eight chickens. She is a bubbly, playful, animal-loving almost-three-year-old who currently receives services from VIPS due to her Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI), Anisometropia, and hypermetropia. Avy loves wearing her purple glasses as she works…
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Gloria & Odin Stay Positive No Matter the News
Smiling through adversity, VIPS child Odin, has brought such joy and positivity to his family over his young life. His mother, Gloria wrote to VIPS telling the impact her son has on their family as he navigates life with a visual impairment. The family experienced negativity from doctors and those around him, but it brought…
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Who is Tala Beth, “Warrior Princess”?
We are so grateful to Christine, mother to young Tala, for sharing her family’s journey— Tell us about Tala! “Tala is a 2.5-year-old young girl, full of joy! Tala knows exactly what she likes and dislikes. She enjoys being part of the day-to-day activities of life, but ultimately loves the chaos, drama, and excitement of…
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Jacob’s Journey— growing and thriving with each day!
From Melisa, mother to Jacob: “Jacob joined our family via domestic adoption in September 2020, at 10 months of age. At the height of the global pandemic, we had the delight and honor of welcoming our son, Jacob, home forever! What a joy! Before Jacob’s adoption, we were aware that he had experienced global developmental…
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Meet Noah: a social butterfly who happens to be non-verbal
“Noah is full of life and laughter,” says Becci, mother to almost 3-year-old Noah. Noah is a social butterfly; he loves playing with his brothers and interacting with anyone who wants to talk to him. Noah is not able to use words to talk but that doesn’t stop him from communicating. Thanks to a collaboration…
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The first year is the hardest
“Having a baby with complex medical needs and being in the NICU for 48 days wasn’t what we had expected,” said Stephanie, mother to Madison who was born in January 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic began in the US. Stephanie recounts, “Dealing with the trauma of her birth, the uncertainty of her future, COVID,…
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Isaac’s Arrival
On January 19th, I was on bed rest and about to go crazy. I was 4 cm, 80% effaced, and knew that Isaac could be born any day. That evening, as I was watching TV, I thought my water broke and it was finally time to go to the hospital and give a *natural* birth.…
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Simone is learning independence one step at a time!
“Simone is joy and light, and the center of our family,” said Nicole, mother to VIPS child Simone. She is a busy little girl, always moving and thriving on attention. She spends her days playing, dancing, and exploring the outdoors; specifically, the trees and flowers. She especially loves doing so with her family. Simone is…
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From VIPS kid to VIPS Board Member: Meet Paul Frazier
VIPS board member, Paul Frazier, brings a lot to the table. He is the father of a preschooler, a former educator, a businessman and a natural advocate with a charismatic personality and a heart of gold. But one of the strongest qualities Paul brings to his board responsibility is the critical perspective he has as a…
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Wallace Braveheart is a 20-month-old superstar!
Wallace has several diagnoses and is our miracle boy, hence his middle name Braveheart. We went from planning his funeral at 33 weeks during my pregnancy, to 193 days in the NICU/CICU following his birth, to home and thriving. We were introduced to VIPS once we were home for a few months and started to receive…
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