October 18, 2016
Mila: A Mountain Shadows Story of Hope
By: Sheryl Wilde
If I told you my story, you would hear hope that wouldn’t let go.*
She was born in the middle of the night, in a shower, to a 13-year-old girl, who didn’t know she was pregnant.
She was unresponsive when first responders arrived.
At the hospital, weighing in at just 1 pound, 10 ounces, she was diagnosed with a grade 4 brain hemorrhage.
No one thought she would survive.
If I told you my story, you would hear love that never gave up.
But Vanessa Gomez did survive. And, after 4 months in the Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the hospital, she was transferred to Mountain Shadows Darlene House in Moreno Valley. “I remember Vanessa’s face,” says Ruth Hill, retired Mountain Shadows RN. “She was very cute. Unfortunately, the damage to her brain was very, very severe.
“When we get a baby this young, we simply don’t know their potential. The doctors may say there’s no potential. The doctors may say they won’t walk, or talk, or perhaps they’ll say they may not even survive. But with love and stimulation, it’s amazing what we see happen.
“That’s why we have the mantra at Mountain Shadows to do active treatment with each and every child. Mountain Shadows is very good at that. We encourage every child to achieve their highest potential.
If I told you my story, you would hear life …
“When a baby like Vanessa is placed at Mountain Shadows, they are immediately referred to the Regional Center’s Early Start Program, where teams of service coordinators, healthcare providers, early intervention specialists, therapists, and parent resource specialists evaluate and assess infants to provide appropriate early intervention and family support services. This Early Start Program is so important, because it’s very challenging to meet a baby like Vanessa’s developmental goals.
“In addition to the Early Start Program, Vanessa received assessments by all of our Mountain Shadows consultants – occupational therapists, physical therapists, neurologist, ophthalmologists, audiologists and more. She also went to Specialty Clinics at Loma Linda University Medical Center. And, after all of this, we set-up a comprehensive healthcare plan specifically tailored to help her achieve her greatest potential.”
If I told you my story, you would hear victory …
“When we brought Vanessa home from Mountain Shadows, it was a big surprise and very challenging,” says Launa Grunau, Vanessa’s adoptive mother. “Even though we had visited her and knew her condition, we weren’t quite aware of the depth of her needs until we had to care for her on our own. She has Cerebral Palsy, seizures, spasticity in her hands, autism and many other special needs. But I’m a Type A personality and very strong-willed. I just said, ‘This is what we’re going to do.’
“Not long after we adopted her, we decided to change her name. We wanted a name that truly reflected who she was – her past and her future. We decided on Milagro Hope. Milagro means miracle in Spanish. We call her Mila. It is a true miracle that she survived. Her past was a miracle. Her future now has hope. Her name, Milagro Hope, is a true picture of her life. And she is so full of life!
If I told you my story, you would hear freedom that was won for me.
“Mila is ten-years-old now. She’s still very small for her age, but she walks and talks and does so many things the doctors said she would never be able to do. I don’t believe any of this would have been possible if not for the loving and specialized care she received at Mountain Shadows during those critical first 24 months of her life.
“By the time we brought Mila home, thanks to the love and care she received at Darlene House, her g-tube had been removed, she was holding her head up and sitting on her own. She had just started using a walker – a huge walker. These were all things the doctors had said Mila would never be able to do!
“There are still hard days when I think I’m just not cut out for all of this. But I never, not once, wished that we hadn’t adopted Mila. What has been our biggest challenge? There have been so many of them. But I think our biggest challenge has been, and is, to help her achieve her potential. That will always be a work in progress as there will always be more for her to achieve!
If I told you my story, you would hear life overcome the grave.
“We have learned so much from Mila. She’s given us a different perspective on people with disabilities. She’s given me a deeper appreciation of the value of life – all life. Sometimes it seems our society arbitrarily puts values on things. And sometimes the disabled are marginalized. Mila has value. She has purpose, even if she doesn’t have the same abilities as others.
“I think Mila’s greatest purpose is to teach others about compassion and strength and courage. No one thought she would survive. But she’s a survivor – a fighter.
This is my story … this is my song
“Another of her gifts is the gift of music. Mila loves to sing – and she sings for hours on end! She hears a song once and then can sing the whole song from memory. She can even drop an octave if it’s too high for her. It’s pretty incredible. She can repeat anything she hears. Of course, that means you have to be careful what you say, because she will repeat anything and everything.
“Mila sings wherever she goes, even at the Costco food court. And she sings at the top of her lungs! She sings songs about God and about love. Everyone gets to hear it. Everyone gets to hear her story – and it’s all about the power of love!”
At Mountain Shadows, love powers all that we do.
Love is our story … Love is our songWe sing it for MilaAnd for all of our childrenAll the day long
Thank you, Mila, for allowing us to be part of the chorus of the beautiful song of love that is your life.
Click here to see more about Mila’s incredible story and to hear her incredible song.
*Song by Big Daddy Weave