APPOMATTOX, Va. – Watching her daughter, Dagan Almond, joke around with her brothers and sister is nothing short of a blessing for an Appomattox mom of four.
“She is a miracle,” said Sara Almond. “She has taught us so, so much about life and just not taking the little things for granted.”
When Sara was about 20 weeks pregnant, she said Dagan had a stroke in utero. She wasn’t expected to live outside of the womb, and if she did, she wasn’t expected to live past her first birthday.
She’s 13 now, but there have been many challenges along the way.
“We’ve come so far with some things, but some things are still just kind of lagging in the special needs department,” Sara said.
Like most 13-year-olds, Dagan loves playing outside and being with friends; however, she’s starting to outgrow the equipment she needs to do those things. The Almonds need $4,100 to get an adaptive bike for Dagan.
“I think that’s what’s heartbreaking,” Sara added. “As a family of special needs, not many people have that money. I feel like we’re just kind of hitting roadblocks.”
The bike will come from the nonprofit, Friendship Circle’s Great Bike Giveaway. So far, it has raised more than $1 million dollars to get bikes to more than 1,100 kids just like Dagan.
“Just being able to do that stuff that everyone else is doing, it’s so important to her,” Sara added. “It’s important to her siblings too because they just want her to be with them all the time.”
Dagan has a 13-year-old twin brother, Coleman, an 11-year-old sister, Sawyer, and an 8-year-old brother, Walker to keep up with.
“She deserves the bike because she loves to be outside and we can all ride together,” sister Sawyer said.
Dagan turned 13 last month and instead of asking for presents, she asked for donations to raise more than $2,000 to help her favorite beach get an adaptive wheelchair for all to use. Now, this giving 13-year-old could use help in return.
If you’re interested in donating, you can do so here.