Feature

A touch of joy

When Myla Carbajal was 5 1/2 months old, she aspirated milk while nursing. She stopped breathing and was turning blue.

Myla Carbajal can't see the items well, but she is curious and reaches out to touch them--exactly what members of the Kiwanis Club of San Jose, California, hoped she'd do with the resonance board they donated to the family.

Gabe's story Gabe's Day was named after Gabriel, a child who benefitted from play equipment similar to the Kiwanis club's resonance board. After he passed away, his family continued to attend the annual Gabe's Day party. Every year, Gabe's grandmother shares Gabe's story with the volunteers. "We couldn't believe the difference the equipment made," Gabe's grandmother says. "It changed Gabe's life. I think he lived longer than the doctors ever expected because he was so motivated to play. It brought him such joy."

At the time, her family was vacationing in El Salvador, far from their Santa Clara, California, home.

"We didn't even know where the hospital was," said Myla's mom, Molly, "but as I called for help, a local couple saw what was happening and took us to the emergency room."

Myla was resuscitated and flown home by Med-Evac for medical care in the United States, but the loss of oxygen she'd suffered left her brain damaged. Following the accident, she needed a feeding tube in her stomach to eat, and she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, seizures, and cortical vision impairment, which is an inability of the brain to access or make sense of visual information. She found it difficult to play with toys, see her parents' faces, and reach out to touch things. But that's changing. Thanks in part to Kiwanis.