Look at That Smile. Myla Is Only 2, and She’s Already Fighting So Hard.
Look at That Smile. Myla Is Only 2, and She’s Already Fighting So Hard.
Look at that smile.
Myla is only 2 years old, but her fight against a serious vascular malformation has already taken her family from Canada all the way to Italy in search of treatment.
Her mom, Samantha, says Myla has a rare genetic condition called CM-AVM and an extremely complex, high-flow AVM affecting the left side of her face and head.
As Myla has grown, her family says the AVM has grown too.
According to Samantha, it has caused daily bleeding and severe swelling and has affected Myla’s vision, hearing, breathing, teeth, jaw, and ability to walk, while also placing additional strain on her heart.
All before her third birthday.
Samantha says specialists in Canada believed intervention carried a very high risk of serious complications.
But she refused to stop searching for answers.
Through the Vascular Birthmarks Foundation, the family eventually connected with Professor Giacomo Colletti in Italy and a treatment called Modified Electrosclerotherapy, or MEST.
Myla received her first treatment in March, and according to her family, they finally began seeing progress.
The family returned to Italy this summer for major surgery. Samantha says that during the hospitalization, Myla underwent the surgery and 13 additional procedures because of serious complications.
And somehow, through all of it, she still smiles.
“She wakes up from anesthesia after her procedures and still finds a reason to smile,” Samantha shared.
Myla loves yellow, her Grinch stuffed animal, books, bubbles, and making people laugh.
Her journey isn’t over. She will need additional treatments as she grows, and Samantha says their application for out-of-country healthcare funding was denied.
Her family is now relying on their own resources and support from others to continue traveling to Italy for Myla’s care.
Samantha has a message for other parents:
“Never stop looking for an answer. Get a second opinion. Get ten opinions if you need to.”
Different children. Different medical battles.
But families who refuse to stop advocating for the children they love.
Let’s surround Myla and her family with the same prayers and support so many families have received here.
What would you want Myla’s mom to know?
