Meet Ashley
A Bacterial Infection Changed Her Life
Some children communicate with words. Others communicate with their eyes. With expressions. With sounds. With joy. Ashley is one of those children.
Ashley is thirteen years old and lives in Mazatlán, Mexico with a family that deeply loves her. Her mother, Karina, cares for her daily alongside her sister Pamela, her father, brother, and grandparents. It truly takes a family to support Ashley. And still much of the physical burden falls on her mother.
When Ashley was born, a bacterial infection changed the course of her life. She spent several months in the NICU, and the infection left her with significant brain damage and ongoing physical challenges that affect nearly every part of her body. She cannot speak, she cannot hold her own head upright, she has no trunk control and no ability to walk. Her arms move some, but without coordination and her legs move unpredictably but cannot support her weight. Her vision is poor and uncertain.
But her hearing? Perfect. And according to her family Ashley loves music. That detail stayed with us because even in the middle of immense physical challenges, there is still joy inside her. There is still awareness, still emotion, still personality.
You can see it when music plays, you can hear it in the sounds she makes, and you can feel it in the way her family responds to her.
Before arriving at our ROC Wheels distribution, Ashley was using an older ROC Wheels Rockit Chair that no longer fit her growing body. Like many children with complex disabilities, Ashley had simply outgrown the equipment that once supported her, so her mother carries her almost everywhere.
Ashley and her family traveled 45 minutes by bus to reach our distribution.
Getting The Support They Need
Imagine navigating public transportation while carrying a thirteen-year-old child who cannot support her own body. That’s the reality many families face every single day.
For children like Ashley, a wheelchair is not simply transportation. It’s medical support. Because Ashley cannot hold her own head upright and has no trunk stability, her body constantly fights gravity. Without proper positioning, children with neurological injuries can develop worsening spinal deformities, breathing difficulties, digestive complications, and chronic discomfort.
When Ashley was fitted into her new chair, her body immediately received support where she needed it most:
- Head support to protect her neck and allow safe positioning
- Trunk stabilization to help her sit upright
- Pelvic positioning to reduce collapsing and sliding
- Leg support to protect joints and improve comfort
For children with severe neurological impairments, proper seating can reduce fatigue, improve breathing and digestion and protect the spine and hips improving comfort throughout the day. This then allows greater interaction with family and surroundings.
But sometimes the greatest impact is simpler than all of that. Sometimes it means a mother no longer must carry her daughter everywhere she goes.
ROC Warriors
One of our ROC Warriors veterans, Paul Nokes, reflected on something that continues to impact him after serving on distributions in Mazatlán. He wrote, “All of the recipients of our chairs are memorable for various reasons, but some just grab your heart. Ashley was one of those children.”
Paul also reflected on the spirit of the families we meet, “They are happy, smiling, loving… and grateful for the small relief that we provide. My personal experiences have given me memories that will never go away.”
That is what happens when veterans serve children like Ashley. Something changes in everyone involved.
The Invitation
There are more children waiting. More mothers carrying growing sons and daughters. More families navigating buses, long drives, and daily physical exhaustion simply hoping for proper support. Would you help us reach them?
Ashley may never say “thank you” with words, but her smile when music plays says more than enough. And because of supporters like you, that smile now rests in a chair built to support her safely, comfortably, and with dignity.
Thank you for helping children like Ashley experience relief, support, and hope.