Just after her first birthday, Suzy suffered her first grand mal seizure. She was diagnosed with epilepsy soon thereafter, in what would later become the first in a series of diagnoses — developmental delay, mental retardation, autism and speech apraxia would follow.

As her parents, Jaime and Jeremy, now tell, Suzy was fortunate enough to receive assistive devices and therapies that insurance didn’t cover, thanks to help from family and friends. The family was able to use such treatment as a vehicle to help Suzy, now 8, to pursue her dreams.

Jaime and Jeremy, grateful for the means to provide for their daughter, chose to start a non-profit organization in their daughter’s namesake — The Suzy Foundation.

Since its inception in 2011, the non-profit has helped more than 20 children with special needs receive therapy, devices and other treatments which aren’t covered by insurance.