Gabriela E Espino

Gabriela (“G-Babe”) Espino has cerebral palsy but that doesn’t stop her from racing…with some help!

Gabriela and her twin sister were born in May 2013 at 26 weeks gestation. As with all extremely premature infants, both girls experienced serious health challenges upon birth, with the most profound one being Gabriela’s severe brain injury. She is now almost 13 years old and her diagnosis of cerebral palsy means she is quadriplegic. As she gets bigger, her needs grow as well. We are fundraising for a mobility (wheelchair) van for Gabriela and for her ongoing needs.

Gabriela’s parents, Damian and Melisa, ensure that Gabriela lives a full life. She attends a school for children with severe special needs, is a regular at church, runs in wheelchair races with her dad, listens to books and bird watches with her mom, chills with her sister and pays regular visits to her grandparents and cousins. Gabriela eats nutritious blended food and is not on a feeding tube—her favorite food is avocado. Gabriela cannot speak but has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh at a good joke.

Gabriela’s care is like running a marathon, not a sprint. And she needs your encouragement to race well! Her parents make use of the help that is available to them from various grants or through the state for medical needs, and schooling, but there are still some large gaps. We are fundraising for her immediate need of a wheelchair van. G-Babe’s SUV was in an accident last year and she needs a van as soon as possible. While her parents are still researching exactly which van is the most suitable, our initial goal is approximately $85K which would buy something like a 2025 Toyota Sienna adapted for wheelchair use.

Marathon giving: Please consider giving a donation toward the van but also setting up a monthly donation to support Gabriela and her family on the race of life with cerebral palsy. If you set up a recurring donation of $25 or more per month, you will receive a “TEAM G-BABE” sticker in the mail (coming in April 2026) and a private photo update from Gabriela each month.

When the van goal has been reached, we will be fundraising for (2) bathroom renovations to make a quadriplegic-friendly bathroom ($30-$40K), (3) larger home renovations to allow Gabriela to enter and exit the house more easily (cost still unknown – rough estimate is $175K – goal will be updated with a more exact number in the future) and through monthly donations, (4) ongoing funds for a caregiver for about 15 hours per week (this would be monthly cost of about $450-$600 to supplement limited funding that is available) and (5) an annual life-giving event for the whole family like attendance at a special camp for families with special needs kids (about $2.5-$3K for the whole family to attend for 4 days).

We have chosen to fundraise with Help Hope Live in part because donations are tax deductible for contributors and because it provides an extra level of trust that the money is being spent for Gabriela’s needs. If you would like to create your own fundraiser to benefit Gabriela, please contact us and we will help you set it up! If you have practical skills that could be used for renovations, caregiving, or other practical support and prefer to donate your time, please let us know how you want to help!