Super Gabby!

In college, I was randomly assigned to live with a stranger. I was extremely lucky to have been matched with Kim. She was the perfect roommate for a persnickety person, such as myself. Kim goes with the flow, likes to make people happy and is extremely generous. We lived together for two years in the dorms and then decided to get separate apartments in the same complex. We had just spent two years living together in a tiny room and knew that we needed to have our own space or we wouldn't be friends anymore.

After college, we both moved back to Seattle. Kim got an apartment of her own and a job as a daycare teacher while I moved back in with my parents and began my journalism career. We hung out together a lot, went to so many bars and devoted ourselves to the gym. Eventually Kim met her future husband. They got married and got pregnant. She had a pretty non-eventful pregnancy and called me the morning after her daughter was born to tell me about her child. I came up to the hospital at lunch to meet her new bundle of joy. I was so excited for my friend.

As I arrived with the knit blanket, I had spent the last six months making and some flowers, I saw nurses and doctors rushing into her room. The baby had stopped breathing. I caught a glimpse of the baby as they wheeled her away to take care of her. My friend was left in the room with terror in her heart. Eventually the baby was transferred to Children's Medical Center. They still didn't know why she was having problems but wanted to have the best people they could take care of her. Children's is an amazing place and the people who work there are beyond description in their generosity and love. Gabby and her parents spent the next few months at Children's. They ran every test to figure out why this little girl was having so many issues. Years later they discovered that Gabby has a rare genetic disorder. It's so rare that only a handful of people have it.

Kim has prevailed through these rough years. She is Gabby's full time caretaker and now a single Mom (cases like this are hard on marriages). Gabby is unable to walk or talk but you can tell there is a loving soul in her. Due to Gabby's health condition, she often ends up at Children's for months at a time so Molly and I try to visit. Molly really digs Gabby. She thinks her hospital bed and wheelchair are awesome. She likes to give her kisses and poke her cheeks. I think Gabby is amused by Molly's insanity.

Gabby was recently the recipient of a Tiny Superheros Cape and it is amazing! Molly was fascinated with it when we recently visited Gabby and insisted on wearing it around her hospital room. 

These capes are amazing. They give sick little kiddos the power they need to feel strong. You can tell that Gabby feels strong when she has her cape. The founder, Robyn is a local Seattelite who is spreading joy to those who most need it through her sewing machine and capes. 

Tiny Superheros is a volunteer operation with a HUGE waiting list for Tiny Superheros Capes. You can help a Tiny Superhero by donating here.