Story Published:
Nov 10, 2011 at 12:28 AM MDT
Story Updated:
Feb 15, 2012 at 9:03 AM MDT
BILLINGS - She has a smile that can light up a room. It sounds cliche, but it's true. Like any adoring parents, hers want to make sure that smile is here to stay, but they're fighting against a rare condition that threatens to steal her life.
Jaysun and Mistie Mims are staples at the Billings Family YMCA; he is the wellness coordinator, and she is the health and wellness director. Jaysun is well-known for his boot camp.
"Push it, push it, push it," he says as he encourages people in the demanding fitness class. He is like an Army Drill Sergeant. He even tosses out a lovable jab at his wife, Mistie, "If you wanted something easy, you know you would go to my wife's kick-boxing class!"
On this day, there's a new instructor in the boot camp. "Are you going to show them how to do the push ups," Jaysun asks his stepdaughter Aaliyah. She is hanging out since school was let out early.
She may be smaller and more soft-spoken than Jaysun, but she is a fighter. "She puts a lot into perspective when it comes to our family," says Jaysun.
Aaliyah was born with a rare brain condition called Vein of Galen Malformation. Basically, all of the veins and arteries are tangled together in the center of her brain and cause her to experience daily seizures. It also impacts her heart.
"You can just tell that the seizures are starting to take a toll on her," says Mistie. She watches her daughter fall asleep every night because she knows what's coming. "I just wait for it," she says. "I sit there and I hold her and I let her know that I'm there, and that I love her, and we get through it. I just sit with her until she goes to sleep at night, and then I can rest because she's had her seizure for the night."
Aaliyah's condition will not work itself out. She has undergone multiple surgeries and is preparing for another round of medical intervention. In December, she will travel to Children's Hospital Colorado where she will undergo a series of tests to determine if she is a candidate for brain surgery that could free her of the intense seizures that threaten to steal her life. Doctors will attempt to locate the origin of the seizures and remove it.
"Just the thought that we have this opportunity that she could be better is what's keeping me going," says Mistie.
Jaysun's and Mistie's coworkers at the YMCA are rallying around them as they prepare for this new chapter in their fight to heal Aaliyah. "We've never met so many wonderful people," says Jaysun.
The YMCA is hosting a benefit boot camp called Hope for Aaliyah. It is a two-hour, family event to raise awareness about Aaliyah's condition and funds to help cover travel expenses to and from Colorado. It will be November 12 from 6-8 p.m. at the Billings Family YMCA in downtown Billings. Children younger than age six can play in the gym for kids. There will be a silent auction and a live DJ. They are recommending a donation of $20.
The boot camp is tough, no doubt about it, and so is the road ahead for Aaliyah. However, her smile gives hope for a future free from constraints. "I that she can go to bed at night and say 'good night' to me and I can give her a kiss and know that she's going to dream and not be afraid," says Mistie. "Just for her to have some peace. That's my biggest hope for her."
Click on Connections to learn more about Aaliyah and the benefit.
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