Meet Our Champions

On Thanksgiving weekend, five-year-old Reya was watching holiday movies and making a gingerbread house when her parents noticed she seemed unusually tired. She went to sleep, and they awoke to a scream unlike any they’d ever heard. Reya was stiff, vomiting, and unable to open her eyes. Terrified, they called 911. At a local hospital, doctors initially considered a spinal tap but, thanks to a pediatrician’s quick thinking, performed a CT scan first. It revealed a massive brain bleed. Reya was immediately transferred to Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU (CHoR), a Children’s Miracle Network hospital, where a prepared team was waiting. Within minutes, they placed a drain in her brain to relieve pressure and remove blood. Further testing revealed Reya had been born with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM): a tangle of blood vessels that can rupture without warning. Reya was unconscious and placed in a medically induced coma for approximately 2 weeks, and her parents were told to prepare for the possibility that she might never walk or talk again, and struggle with speech, feeding and her vision. But Reya defied every prediction. Day by day, she recovered. Her CHoR team included her parents in daily rounds, explained every decision, and never let them lose hope. Just a few months later, she returned for an 11-hour craniotomy to remove the AVM completely. Today, Reya is a bright, energetic 11-year-old who loves to swim, sing and dream big. She says she wants to be a neurosurgeon one day "to help kids like me." Her family credits CHoR’s expert care and compassionate staff for saving her life, and for showing them that even in the darkest moments, hope remains.