- April 24, 2024
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Amber Foote, 14, organized a poker run fundraiser for her neighbor, 2-year-old Mikayla Buffington, who suffers from cerebral palsy. The two-day event starts Sunday.
BY MIKE CAVALIERE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Two-year-old Mikayla Buffington restlessly wiggles in her stroller, squirming and grumbling — until Amber Foote, her 14-year-old neighbor, kneels beside her and rubs her fingers.
Then Mikayla settles, seems at peace.
“She doesn’t cope with pain very well,” Mikayla’s mother, Christiana said. “It’s probably the brain injury.”
Mikayla was born with complications and has cerebral palsy. Although doctors say her eyes are fine, she can’t see because the receptors to her brain don’t work correctly. She’s had two unsuccessful hip surgeries. She’s fed through tubes and, when she’s fussy, she’s unable to communicate what’s bothering her like other babies would — putting their hands in their mouths when they’re teething, or other nonverbal cues.
“She will cry for days straight,” Buffington said. “But (Amber) has the magic touch.”
Amber Foote, who recently won a regional volunteerism scholarship from Kohl’s for donating $12,000 worth of toys to Superstorm Sandy victims in December, decided she wanted to become more involved in Mikayla’s life when the Buffingtons moved in next door about a year ago.
“I knew her condition, but I didn’t realize the seriousness of it,” Foote said. “So I started visiting her, and I saw the struggles that she goes through every day.”
The Mikayla’s Miracle two-day benefit poker run, corn hole tournament and hog roast will take place Sunday, Sept. 22, and Saturday, Sept. 28. The run will start at Buffington’s Bar & Grill (owned by Christiana’s husband, Josh, and his brother, Chris), and end at Roadside Tavern, in Port Orange.
An International Baccalaureate student at Spruce Creek High School, Foote has been going door to door to local businesses seeking sponsors for the event, and already, her list is long, topped by Seascapes Enterprise Corp., which contributed $1,000.
The event will be the first benefit the 14-year-old has organized, after collecting cleaning supplies for Haiti in 2010 and participating in other relief efforts. After graduation, she wants to go to Berkley College to study international philanthropy.
“I do like focusing on the bigger events, but this is really cool,” Foote said of her current charity project. “I think it’s really neat to actually know (Mikayla) personally. I get to spend one-on-one time with her. ... I kind of like knowing who I’m helping. It’s more personal.”
Long-term, Foote is hoping to raise enough for Mikayla to get her $17,000 stem cell treatment in Panama, to help improve her eyesight and stop the seizures. But short term, it’s just about bettering her quality of life — helping Christiana afford those therapies not covered by their insurance, as well as a nutritionist and a seizure-assistance dog.
Three to four times weekly, Christiana brings Mikayla to physical and occupational therapy. Every other week, they go to the Conklin Center for the Blind. Then there’s trips to Jacksonville to test Mikayla’s food and vitamin intake. Then Gainesville for more therapy.
“We have hundreds of hours invested (in this benefit),” Amber’s mother, Nancy, said. “People don’t realize. ... (Amber’s) really done a lot, and for 14, I don’t think many can say that.”
But still, Buffington would like to see awareness about cerebral palsy become more widespread. Did you even know, she asked, that the symbol for cerebral palsy is a green ribbon?
“If you look at other things, like autism or cancer, there are a million (benefits and drives),” she said. “But you really don’t find that in cerebral palsy. ... There are a lot of kids like (Mikayla).”
That’s why, for Foote’s next effort, she wants to cast another wide net. Only this time, she plans on raising funds and awareness not just for Mikayla, but for her condition — one green ribbon at a time.
Be there: Mikaya’s Miracle
Mikayla’s Miracle Poker Run & Corn Hole Tournament, organized by 14-year-old Amber Foote, will start 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at Buffington’s Bar & Grill, 500 W. Granada Blvd. and end at Roadside Tavern, in Port Orange. Each hand is $10, as is entry into corn hole. Cash prizes will be awarded. There will also be raffles, auctions, live music and barbecue
A hog roast with live music will then be held 3-7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at Roadside Tavern.
Call 307-6878, or visit facebook.com/mikaylasmiracle.
To contact Mikayla Buffington’s mother, Christiana, email [email protected]
