Backgrond

At four years old, Bella’s life changed after a medical incident left her body facing challenges she never could have expected.

As a result, the systems that help her body automatically function do not work the way they should. Bella often describes it like a house with incredible appliances, but an electrician who can’t get the power running. The appliances are there, but the connection that tells them what to do is damaged.

For Bella, this affects many of the things most people never have to think about—her digestion, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature regulation, and other automatic functions of the body. Her digestive system is unable to process food normally, and today Bella does not eat food for nutrition. Instead, she relies on a form of life support through TPN and a central line to provide her body with the nutrition it needs.

While this has changed the way Bella experiences life, it has never taken away her desire to live it fully. Her journey has taught her that a meaningful life is not defined by what our circumstances take away, but by the choices we make with what we are given.