Name: 20-month-old giggling her way through complex health battles
Uploaded: 2025-12-30T16:53:06.148Z
Duration: 2 min 14 s
Description: After hours of dialysis and years of hospital visits, a little girl’s laughter tells a story of resilience — and a family leaning on faith, love, and support.

After hours of dialysis and years of hospital visits, a little girl’s laughter tells a story of resilience — and a family leaning on faith, love, and support.

Cincinnati

Mariah, a 20-month-old girl from Cincinnati, has faced significant health challenges since birth, including a cloaca anomaly, fused kidneys, and a rare genetic condition that led to eye cancer. After spending her first three months in the NICU and undergoing chemotherapy, she now requires regular dialysis and will soon need hip surgery.

Despite the demanding medical regimen and the family's struggles with unreliable transportation, Mariah continues to meet each treatment with a joyful spirit. Her mother, who previously lost a child, draws strength from her experiences to support Mariah through ongoing uncertainty and hardship.

20-month-old giggling her way through complex health battles

Hi. Hi. Hi. Hi. Meet Mariah. She's 20 months old. And resilience has been part of her life from the very beginning. Born at UK Hospital, Mariah spent her first three months in the NICU. They told me that she has a cloaca anomaly and that she would have to be sent to Cincinnati Children's because they couldn't do an ostomy surgery on a baby her size. Mariah was born with her kidneys fused together, low in her pelvis, and later diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that led to eye cancer. So at that point we started chemotherapy. And throughout treatment she developed more, so she became bilateral retinoblastoma. Chemo eventually became too much for her tiny body. But somehow she always found a way to smile. It's so out of the ordinary for her to just be this bubbly, happy baby. Last summer, doctors made another life saving decision. Dialysis, a lot of driving, a lot of treatment, but she needs it to stay alive three days a week, six hours round trip from Danville to Cincinnati and back again. Her mom can't work, her grandma helps when she can, and the car they rely on. It's really on its last legs. Half the time it doesn't want to start. Soon Mariah will need hip surgery and a specialized medical car seat for her spicacast, making reliable transportation even more critical. Like I like to pray in the car before we travel. And my four year old knows that, and she's like Mommy, let's pray. I also sadly know it losses so. We lost our first born at a month at 25 days old, so it's undetermined since. So I sadly know that fear and that heartache too. I think that's what gives me the strength to just fight and fight and fight. Cause I didn't get to with him. Through exhaustion, fear and uncertainty. Oh yeah. Every mile every treatment Mariah meets it with joy.

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