KINGSFORD, Mich. (WZMQ) – A 2-year-old girl and her family are making preparations for their journey to a Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee this week.
Over the weekend, the young family organized a heartwarming parade in Kingsford, capturing the attention of the community. Dozens of vehicles, including local law enforcement and the fire department, joined the procession. Along the route, several people presented little Westlynn Rae Andreini with cards and gifts, demonstrating the outpouring of support for the young toddler.
Westlynn, who requires an in-home nurse for her care, has faced a challenge due to the lack of available services. Her mother, Mikayla Gibby, shared her experience, saying, “We clean everything on it every day, it’s a lot of upkeep. Most trach families have a nurse, an in-home nurse, but we’ve never had one. There’s none available in the U.P. There’s a very limited selection for pediatrics, let alone in-home nursing as a whole. So we’ve never had in-home nursing. It’s just been me mainly that handles it all.”
Despite these challenges, Mikayla Gibby has taken it upon herself to build an online support community to assist other parents of special needs children. Her determination to provide a strong support system for families facing similar situations is a testament to her resilience and the bond she shares with her daughter.
Gibby has multiple children with special needs, and her oldest child sparked her to start an online presence to build support for herself and other special needs parents. Gibby shared that many of her followers have been with Westlynn’s journey since her birth.
As the family prepares for Westlynn’s surgery, the community’s show of solidarity continues to grow, offering a source of strength for the family during this crucial time.
Westlynn’s mother is active on social media, especially on her TikTok account with over 207,000 followers. Her account handle is medmamamik.
The Ronald McDonald house charities of eastern Wisconsin supports families like Westlynn’s. For more information about the Ronald McDonald house, visit:
