Our First Miracle Complete!

Maren Nordhoy • August 22, 2019

The Katzins of Reading, PA, were the first family Maddie’s Miracles was able to support in meeting the everyday challenges of living with severe disabilities by providing a life changing home modification.


 Ethan, 17, is the youngest son of Sandra Katzin. He was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy at age six and recently lost the use of his legs, leaving him confined to an electric wheelchair. Limited mobility can have a big impact on what were once “little” daily tasks around the home.


Seeing an opportunity to make a significant impact on Ethan’s everyday life, Maddie’s Miracles helped the Katzin’s renovate their first-floor bathroom to be entirely handicap accessible! Construction was completed in July 2019 with the help of Dolan Construction, Inc. Maddie was on site to celebrate the finished bathroom with Sandra and Ethan. Everyone was extremely happy to see the amazing transformation Maddie’s Miracles and Dolan Construction worked to accomplish for such a loving and caring family.


Currently, Ethan still enjoys being an ambassador for the MDA as well as attending various fundraising events with fellow boys who have the same illness. His goal when he graduates high school is to drive around the country in an RV and see as many places on his bucket list as he can. We were so happy to help such a motivated boy like Ethan!

A boy in a wheelchair holds a sign that says maddie 's miracles
A room with a tiled floor and a mirror on the wall.
A girl in a wheelchair in a bathroom with a sign that says maddie 's miracles
Family stands near a gray accessible van with ramp deployed in a wooded area.

Enzo’s Miracle Van

By Maren Nordhoy • July 22, 2025
Enzo’s story is a beautiful reminder of the power of perseverance, the importance of accessibility, and the joy that shines through even the toughest challenges. Maddie’s Miracles is proud to have played a small part in helping Enzo and his incredible family continue their journey with hope and strength.
Group of people standing by a blue car on a snowy street, smiling.

Christmas Eve Miracle

By Maren Nordhoy • July 21, 2025
Alesia is 12 years old and has had Cerebral Palsy since birth it has been an extreme challenge simply managing the day-to-day tasks and activities. Alesia has no control or support of her lower body. She does have an adaptive car seat. However, it causes her extreme discomfort. The task of simply transporting her to the numerous appointments she has throughout the week can be heart-aching to watch. We have had to cancel appointments and cancel on family gatherings simply because Alesia is too uncomfortable to leave the house without her chair. The vehicle will help us tremendously, not only in transporting her to and from her appointments, but will also allow us to bring Alesia’s wheelchair along in hopes she will be eager to head out and do more.  Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of neurological disorders that affect movement, muscle tone, and posture. It is caused by damage to the developing brain, often before or during birth, or in early infancy. The condition can vary in severity, with some individuals experiencing mild coordination issues, while others may have significant physical and intellectual challenges. Symptoms can include difficulty with walking, speaking, and fine motor skills. Although there is no cure for cerebral palsy, treatments such as physical therapy, medication, and assistive devices can help improve quality of life and independence.
Family poses in living room; daughter in wheelchair, parents smile, neutral colors, sunny.

Niya’s “Zipline”

By Maren Nordhoy • January 16, 2025
Niya is a happy girly girl who loves pink and spending time with her family. She has a large family of eight brothers and sisters who always make her smile and laugh. She loves funny noises, listening to The Boxcar children’s books, and loves being outside. Niya faces lots of challenges with her mental and physical disabilities. She was born prematurely at 29 weeks with peri ventricular leukomalacia. This is damage to the brain that resulted in spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and cortical visual impairment. She currently uses a manual wheelchair, a stander; to help her stand and bear weight, a gait trainer; to help her take steps, an activity chair; for feeding and participating in family time, a handicap accessible vehicle for transportation, and a medical grade hi low bed for assisting with transfers and safe sleeping. She uses all this equipment daily. Niya’s family reached out to Maddie’s Miracles for assistance with a ceiling lift to help transport her to her handicap accessible bathroom. The family needed the lift as Niya is getting older and will continue to grow. Transferring her in and out of the bed and shower chair was getting more difficult and would continue to worsen as she got older and bigger. The safest and less strenuous option was a ceiling lift. The lift was denied several times by the family’s insurance company. A ceiling lift is quoted to cost anywhere from $7,000 to $12,000 which is not affordable so that is when the family decided to seek help elsewhere. Once Maddie’s Miracles read their submission we decided to meet the family. Within two minutes of meeting Niya and her beautiful smile and spunky personality we knew she her family needed the lift and decided on providing it for her and her family as our next miracle. The ceiling lift was installed by Laurel Medical on September 24th, 2024. It took less than two days to have the lift fully installed and ready for use. The family told us immediately after it was installed how much Niya loved it and how it has helped them tremendously. It has allowed them to provide a safe mode of transfer to and from her bathroom. Niya always enjoys taking her zipline and always has a huge smile on her face when she’s in it.