Stories of Impact

Molly

As two-year-old Molly drives her pink Cadillac across the living room floor, it is quite obvious that she is a force to be reckoned with. She sports an infectious smile and wears a shirt that describes her motto in life, “Have Courage.”

Looking at Molly today, it’s hard to believe that she was born prematurely and had several challenges at birth, including hydrocephalus, a potentially fatal condition characterized by a buildup of fluid within the brain. “The doctors told us there was little hope that she would ever walk, talk or develop normally,” shared Molly’s mom, Amy. “They actually said she would be a ‘vegetable.’”

When Molly was just 10 days old, she underwent her first surgery. A shunt was put in her brain to help relieve some of the fluid buildup, and she was referred to Curative’s Birth to Three program. That’s where she met Occupational Therapist Marjut, and the two of them set out to write a different version of Molly’s future.

Molly was not able to lift her head, sit or roll at 10 months of age. Amy remembers asking Marjut if her little girl would ever walk. “I simply told her, ‘yes she will, with time,’” said Marjut. She offered Molly’s family the glimmer of hope that they so desperately needed.

“The therapists were amazing. They took my broken momma heart and mended it with all of their hope.”

Molly and Marjut worked together diligently for a year and a half. Then one day during her therapy session, she took her first steps. “Molly walked away from me to go play with her toys,” said Marjut. “She did it, and her mom and I exchanged knowing glances after she took Molly’s graduating picture.”