There are adventures and trips with her family. There's the next Monster Jam show, preferably featuring Sparkle Smash, the monster truck that shoots confetti from its horn. And there's probably a trip to Hobby Lobby somewhere on the itinerary, considering she recently spent an impressive 90 minutes exploring the store.

At 10 years old, Leah has places to be, people to see, and absolutely no interest in letting a little thing like Monday through Friday interfere with her weekends.

But for a girl who once couldn't bear weight on her own legs, getting from one place to another has been anything but simple.

Leah was just four months old when her parents first heard the words Joubert syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting brain development. 

An MRI revealed differences in the part of her brain responsible for coordination and balance, helping explain her low muscle tone and unusual eye movements.

As first-time parents, Katie and her husband, a military service member of 20 years, had no idea what the diagnosis might mean for their daughter's future.

Would she walk? Would she talk? What kind of independence might someday be possible?

There were more questions than answers, but one thing was certain: they were going to give Leah every opportunity to find out.

Physical therapy began when she was just six months old. By 18 months, she was using a stander to help her legs support her weight. A gait trainer followed, then a walker, alongside years of occupational, speech, and vision therapies.

Progress came through countless hours of practice, patience, and persistence. At three and a half, Leah entered an intensive therapy program barely able to take 10 steps with a walker. Six weeks later, she could cover approximately 400 feet.

And then, at five years old, something extraordinary happened.

Her baby brother, Landon, arrived three weeks early. That same weekend, Leah began walking independently down the hallway.

Her family had spent years wondering when that moment might come. Suddenly, there she was, putting one foot in front of the other.

And she hasn't stopped finding new places to go since.

Today, Leah is a fifth grader who loves drawing, Sonic the Hedgehog, and playing with Landon, who sometimes understands her speech better than anyone else. Her mother affectionately calls her the queen of her school, where seemingly everyone knows and loves her.

But walking still isn't easy for Leah. Joubert syndrome makes it harder for her to keep her balance and control her movements. She also has limited side vision and can't see in the dark, which makes things like climbing stairs, stepping off curbs, and walking on uneven ground especially tricky.

Last year, she accomplished something her family once couldn't imagine: walking across the grass without holding someone's hand.

Think about that for a moment. Something most of us do without a second thought represented years of work for Leah.

And now she's setting her sights even higher.

During her latest round of intensive physical therapy, Leah practiced navigating stairs and curbs, strengthening her core, and riding an adaptive tricycle. She even walked on a treadmill for 10 consecutive minutes at two miles per hour, her longest stretch yet.

Next year brings middle school, with longer hallways, new routines, and a school bus Leah hopes to ride alongside her friends. Her mother dreams of watching her climb those steps independently.

That's where Chive Charities comes in.

With Leah's intensive therapy already covered, our community stepped in with $2,638 in equipment to help her continue building strength and independence at home.

A treadmill will allow her to practice walking longer distances and build endurance. A vibration plate, which Leah calls her "shaky plate," will support the balance exercises she's been practicing in therapy. 

A wheelchair will help her family enjoy longer adventures together while giving Leah opportunities to practice propelling herself. And a bathtub accessory will make getting in and out of the tub easier and safer.

Each item addresses a different challenge, but together, they support something much bigger: Leah's growing ability to do more for herself.

Independence isn't always one enormous, life-changing milestone. Sometimes it's stepping off a curb without reaching for a hand, keeping up with friends in the hallway, or climbing onto the school bus with everyone else.

And sometimes it's simply having the freedom to explore a little farther.

Leah has already shown her family that the future can hold possibilities they never imagined. Now, with a little help from the Chive Charities community, she's getting ready to discover even more of them.

There are so many places Leah, and so many other rare medical families, have yet to go. Let's help make sure they have every opportunity to get there. Join our mission to make the world 10% happier and DONATE HERE.