It’s believed that a mother’s love can make anything possible, and for Michelle Aguilar, she is pushing her hardest to help provide her daughter with new technology that can help her three-year-old daughter walk.
Brielle Thomson, Aguilar’s daughter, was born prematurely at nearly 30 weeks. At the time, Aguilar said that they didn’t realize she suffered from brain injury.
“She stayed at the Foothills [Hospital} for, I would say, a week,” Aguilar explained. “Then we were transferred to Peter Lougheed, because Foothills said she’s the healthiest baby in there. I don’t know about the tests they did to my daughter, but it was before she was discharged that I found out about a severe brain injury my daughter had suffered.”
After waiting for the results from an ultrasound, doctors confirmed Brielle’s situation with Aguilar.
“The doctor called me, and they said Brielle had a severe brain injury during birth,” she said. “The worst part was, I was given the diagnosis of my daughter over the phone. They didn’t even ask like – 'Hey, are you ok, just all-in-all a traumatic experience for all of us.'”
Soon after, Aguilar said she and her husband invited themselves to the hospital to learn more about the situation.
“They showed us the picture of the ultrasound in middle of the NICU, where every family was listening, not even any privacy,” Aguilar said. “And the doctor said; ‘She won’t be able to walk and talk,’ [and] as a mother, I don’t know. It wasn’t just like I was going to accept what he said.”
From there, her family did, and are continuing to do, everything they can for Brielle. Anything from new forms of technology, to specialized education, Aguilar said she will do anything to support her daughter.
“Before she even left the NICU, I was already searching for things I could do for my daughter,” she said. “So, before we were discharged, I signed her up for the General Movement Assessment at the University of Calgary, to see if she’s going to end up with cerebral palsy, and sure enough she did.”
Aguilar said that they committed to early intervention, which involved several forms of therapy. She notes that for 10 days of intensive therapy at the Canadian Centre for Development cost her family $4,200, all of which they paid for out of pocket.
Trexo
Last summer, Aguilar said Brielle was lucky enough to undergo a trial of the Trexo Robotic Device at the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“At the end of the study, she initiated 50 per cent of the steps, so if she takes around 3,000 steps, she initiated 1,500, which is amazing,” Aguilar said. “Even at her school right now, her therapist is telling me that it will be very helpful for my daughter to get robotic legs.”
At 18 months old, Brielle underwent surgery for both of her eyes. A just a few weeks earlier from her time speaking with The Eagle, Aguilar said she underwent hip surgery to correct a bone that was growing incorrectly.
“When we get these robotic legs, they will definitely change her quality of life,” she said. “All her limbs are affected [due] to the cerebral palsy, so it’s considered quadriplegic.”
Aguilar explained that they were introduced to the Trexo Robotic Device in 2023, at the Canadian Centre for Development. Although Brielle hated it at first, it served as equipment therapy to teach her on how to walk.
Fundraising
The equipment itself is $43,000, and Agular has been doing all that she can to raise money to purchase one for Brielle. At the time of her interview with The Eagle, Aguilar said she was still making her rounds collecting empty bottles for a fundraiser dedicated to Brielle.
“I feel like I’ll be collecting bottles for months,” Aguilar chuckled. “I’ve been getting e-transfers from people who are reading articles about Brielle, and so far, I’ve raised over $7,000.”
“I’m very patient when it comes to this. Life is so hard with everyone struggling right now, so I’m willing to work for it. That’s why I started doing bottle collection.”
Aguilar said that she plans to work with businesses in Cochrane and Calgary to help raise more money, and they are all in the works for now.
Though her time trying to raise enough money for her daughter, Aguilar said it helped her connect with other individuals and families that have gone though the same situation.
“When you get messages about people going the extra mile to help you out, it just puts me in tears,” Aguilar said. “Like I’m driving and crying, and people look at me like – What’s going on?”
Brielle’s First Steps
Despite everything she has been through, Aguilar said her daughter lives her life as a very happy girl. She said that Brielle loves spending time with her family, playing board games, going to school, and being outdoors.
“Her smile is so contagious,” she adds. “You can have a bad day, but when you look at her, it just takes away all the stress and everything.”
Aguilar said she will continue to fight to make sure her daughter can take those first steps with her family.
“I know in my heart that my daughter will be able to walk one day,” she said.
Aguilar said she has spent countless hours watching Brielle grow and overcome challenges. For now, she will not stop until her daughter receives a Trexo Robotic Device.
“I even told someone [that] I’m willing to go house-to-house and beg to get my daughter what she needs,” she said. “But as a mother, my instinct is that I think we are going to get there.”
Looking to the future, in the event Brielle graduates from her Trexo Device, Aguilar said she hopes it can go to another family in the community that can benefit from it.
For anyone looking to learn more and support Brielle, they can do so by visiting www.supportnow.org/brielle-s-journey.
