A mother's devotion: South Florida healthcare worker adopts medically challenged children

A South Florida pediatric healthcare worker was on shift when motherhood found her — it’s where she would meet two medically challenged infants who would eventually become her daughters.

Now, the single mother leans on her village to get them through some medical setbacks.

Four-year-old Mya and 7-year-old Faith were born with medical challenges and given up at birth. 

“Faith was born in the Panhandle and was flown to Jackson when she was four weeks old. She was about a 24-week pregnancy and Faith weighed less than a pound,” Lisa Marie Ray told NBC6.

Faith was born with gastroschisis, a birth defect where intestines were found outside of her stomach, requiring her to eat with a tube.

A little more than a year later, Mya appeared.

“Mya is my other little miracle baby. She was born on the west coast of Florida and she was flown here for her heart,” Lisa Marie said.

Lisa Marie, originally from Georgia, opened her home and heart to Mya who has undergone two heart surgeries so far and has vocal cord issues.

“She talks, she swallows, she sings, so she’s a total miracle baby, right, Mya? Mya loves to put on shows," Lisa Marie said.

Fate brought the girls to Nicklaus Children’s Hospital and Jackson, but one could argue faith brought them to Lisa Marie, who was working in the hospitals at the time.

“They have gone beyond anyone’s expectations honestly,” she said.

Faith wasn’t supposed to talk or walk, but through continuous therapies, she progressed.

“'Look at my eyes,' and she immediately looked at my eyes, and I was like, ‘Oh, there is somebody home in there, just no one took the time to find out,’” Lisa Marie recalled.

The progress hit a roadblock in the fall of 2022 when Faith was diagnosed with COVID-19 and had intestinal failure. She would later get COVID again, leading to complications that would put her on life support for nine days, damaging her vocal cords.

“We did Christmas pictures this year not knowing if she would be in them next year,” Lisa Marie said.

Lisa Marie is a single mother but one who leans on her village. That village of home health and medical staff and supporters began a fundraising page to help raise funds for Faith and medical expenses.

It’s a mother’s devotion and determination that resonates with any family. A fight that faith, just like it showed up at her job nearly six years ago, will continue to show itself every day.

“My hope is that Faith and Mya will live the most normal life as possible. Where the things they were born with, they were injured in the belly basically, that those won’t follow them for the rest of their life,” Lisa Marie said.

The family is trying to raise $10,000. If you’d like to help you can go to their AngelLink.