Gabrielle Faith Lizares On How to Remain Hopeful and Beat the Odds
By: Jailyn Mitchell
Gabrielle with her father, mother and sister.
Gabrielle Faith Lizares has been experiencing the hardships that come with Muscular Dystrophy all of her life. Yet, she has been proving that with faith, you can make it through the most trying times.
What is Muscular Dystrophy?
According to MedlinePlus, muscular dystrophy (also known as MD) is a collection of over 30 inherited diseases that all cause muscle weakness and muscle loss. MD can appear unexpectedly at any age. It can move extremely fast or slow. This disease is so rare that finding much information or any kind of statistic can prove difficult. And those that may be found have a probability of being false. Muscular dystrophy is far from a textbook disease and has yet to have a cure at this point in time, making it easy for someone with it feel hopeless and lost.
Early Life
Growing up, Gabrielle, nicknamed Gabbi, always knew there was something different. From infancy, she endured seven to eight years of medical testing. During this time, Lizares and her family went through countless false diagnoses. In late 2007, she underwent a biopsy that explained what was happening with her body. Later, in 2008, a gleam of hope appeared when she finally received the correct diagnosis, muscular dystrophy.
When Lizares was eight-years-old, her curiosity got the best of her. After her diagnosis, she researched the complexities of muscular dystrophy and her discovery scared her even more than the unknown. She felt as if it was inevitable that she was going to die young.
“Reading about it put me in a bad mindset...” she said, “I thought ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’ I had lost hope.”
Lizares’ social life, however, did not change in her younger years. Although the muscle deterioration caused her to eventually begin using a wheelchair, Lizares admitted she never felt like an outsider. Through an organization called Cure CMD, which connects families with children with CMD, she met one of her best friends. Though he was slightly older, she found that she could confide in him, as he was the only person she knew who was like her.
“Even though I had friends, they didn’t quite understand what I was going through, though they tried.”
A common theme with those who have muscular dystrophy is the development of scoliosis, which was no different for Gabrielle. This is caused by the weakness of the body putting pressure on itself.
In 2014, Lizares, her family and her doctor came to the conclusion that she should get a corrective surgery for her scoliosis. For the fear of puncturing her airway, her doctors recommended she get a tracheotomy in order to ventilate her properly during her procedure. However, this had to be done a month before her correctional surgery. Lizares felt as if she had lost her independence because she needed assistance breathing. In the month before her corrective surgery, she found breathing difficult with the new ventilator.
Finally, it came time for Lizares’ corrective surgery the next month. Only a week after her surgery, her nightmare began. During this time, one of her lungs collapsed, sending her into an emergency surgery where she fought for her life. For about two months, Lizares was in and out of the hospital. As she was retelling her story, she found herself getting emotional while detailing her moments of despair and anxieties.
“It felt as if I was going crazy [in the hospital].”
Once her lung collapsed, she was forced to use a trach permanently. On Thanksgiving Day in 2014, she was finally released from the hospital, leaving her filled with gratitude and faith.
Current Life
Compared to her childhood, Lizares is currently still on a ventilator, but she is working diligently to relearn how to breathe on her own.
“It’s not easy. It seems like my muscles are constantly getting weaker instead of stronger, no matter how much you try.”
Lizares expressed that other than socially, her “limitations” caused by her ventilator didn’t affect her in middle school or high school. As stated previously, she is dependent on having a nurse or parent with her at all times. She’s no longer able to extend her hips, knees, and wrists.
Although Lizares still experiences hardships, she still has a great time socializing at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Lizares has found a group of friends at her honors college that give her a sense of belonging. She keeps her humor no matter the situation and always finds the good in life.
Lizares advised that best way to show support and advocate for those who have muscular dystrophy, is to talk to someone with it. Furthermore, she would like to see it more commonly known like other diseases. Lizares expressed her gratitude towards organizations like Cure CMD that spreads awareness for MD with fundraisers and small events that her and her family have participated in.
Note to Self
As a final question for Gabrielle, I asked, “what would you tell your younger self now?” to which she responded with the following:
“It doesn’t get easier, but you’ll get used to it. It [Muscular dystrophy] doesn’t freak you out as much. So, don’t lose your mind so much over something you read online because it’s not true.”