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Evalynne was born at just 29 weeks of gestation. \u201cWhen we arrived at the hospital in Tullahoma, the staff assumed it was false labor. But the moment the nurse checked me, her face went completely white. My heart pounded. You never think you\u2019re going to be that statistic,\u201d Harris said. \u201cTo make matters worse, Tullahoma didn\u2019t have a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to care for a preemie. The weather was stormy, so LifeFlight couldn\u2019t fly. The closest specialized team was at Erlanger in Chattanooga \u2014 two hours away!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Evalynne was in the NICU for two months. \u201cA few days in, we finally got the bittersweet joy of holding her and, later, experiencing skin-to-skin contact. But the fear was constant. For almost her entire stay, Evalynne struggled to breathe on her own and regulate her body temperature. Then on Halloween, we got a frantic call. Her heart was beating dangerously fast, and the medical team couldn\u2019t get it to slow down. She was diagnosed with a heart condition called paroxysmal supraventricula tachycardia, and at just 19 years old, I had to quickly learn how to calculate her heart rate and administer her cardiac medication,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finally, Evalynne passed her car seat safety test and was cleared to go home. \u201cBut the morning of our discharge, six doctors walked into our room. Looking at their faces, my heart sank. I knew something was wrong. Though her previous brain scans had been normal, her final discharge scan revealed a mass. They diagnosed her with PVL, or periventricular leukomalacia, a brain injury common in preemies. Worst-case scenario, this could be cerebral palsy. They asked us to follow up with a neurologist. Just like that, the joy of bringing my baby home was clouded by the terrifying reality of a six-month waiting game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The neurologist confirmed the diagnosis. \u201cThe doctor explained that the mass on her brain was blocking the signals that tell her arms and legs how to move. Evalynne would never sit up, walk, talk, or be cognitively aware. I felt completely numb. Looking at her today, it is clear that the doctors severely underestimated her spirit. She has spent her entire life defying those exact \u2018nevers\u2019 \u2014 finding her voice, sharing her brilliant smile, and filling our lives with so much love and laughter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early days of Evalynne\u2019s diagnosis, her mother was rocked to her core. \u201cI found myself wrestling with questions that had no answer. Why her? Why my baby? I was terrified of the unknown, constantly wondering what our future would look like or if she would even have a life at all. It took several months of grieving to accept the diagnosis and to face the reality of the life we were given. Moving through the anger allowed me to find my footing and accept our path. I promised to give Evalynne the absolute best life possible.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Evalynne was smaller, transporting her was easy, but every milestone reached on her growth chart brings a new set of speed bumps. \u201cWhile she courageously learned to roll over and eventually mastered an army crawl, sitting independently and walking have remained out of her reach,\u201d Harris said. \u201cAt age 3, we faced another hurdle when she was diagnosed with epileptic seizures. The challenges haven\u2019t stopped. Just last week, we received the news that she has developed bone weakness and scoliosis in two different locations. It\u2019s a lot for her body to fight, but it\u2019s exactly why her therapies and specialized care are more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most of us, bathing is a simple task. We get in and out of bed with ease. We dress, feed ourselves, and go about our lives without assistance. \u201cEvalynne requires a carefully coordinated routine and a lot of specialized equipment. Her mornings begin with being bathed in her supportive bath chair, followed by diapering, dressing, and fitting her custom ankle-foot orthotics onto her feet. From there, she is placed in her wheelchair for transport to school. During the day, she is supported oneon-one by her wonderful aide. Evalynne participates in physical and occupational therapy weekly. Her hard work doesn\u2019t stop when the school bell rings. She also completes private physical and occupational therapy sessions after school. Once she is back home, her independence shines! She uses her electric wheelchair to navigate her world alongside a specialized stander and a gait trainer, which are vital for building muscle tone and strength in her legs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Evalynne\u2019s electric wheelchair can be unreliable, so she desperately needs a manual wheelchair, which isn\u2019t covered by her insurance. \u201cWe can\u2019t cover the immense cost of her physical care without sacrificing our family\u2019s stability,\u201d Harris said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They recently took out a loan for a handicapped-accessible van. They are hopeful that their recent partnership with the nonprofit Help Hope Live will help them raise much-needed funds to cover their car payment and purchase equipment and home modifications that will allow Evalynne to continue to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/shelbyville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/09\/2-1024x683.jpg\")
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