Rhythm of Resilience; The Bella Story
Her name is Izabella, but most people call her Bella. She is 21 years old and lives in Northern Ontario with her mother, her grandma, her brother, and her cousin. She visits her dad and her grandparents as often as she can, especially to spend time with her little brother.
She is a small package with a huge soul. Most call her Miss Sunshine because she strives to radiate positivity while helping everyone she encounters. Though she was diagnosed with Celiac Disease at age two, it wasn’t until she was ten that she was diagnosed with Turner Syndrome (TS), "a genetic condition affecting females where one X chromosome is partially or completely missing. Babies born with (TS) are miracles — only 2% of conceptions survive to birth!" She was The Million Dollar Baby, born with energy that is all about value, rarity, and the sheer brightness of her being here. This frames her not just as a survivor, but as a rare treasure.
She began growth hormone treatments at twelve years old, which involved regular trips to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) for monitoring. Six years later, she achieved her goal of reaching 4' 11.5", which is close enough to five feet! Because of her diagnosis, she always welcomes new gluten-free (GF) recipes and menu items.
Bella excelled in grade school and loved her secondary years, where she was very active in sports. She truly thrived in music and the arts, serving as the lead drummer for most of her school concerts and performing both as a soloist and in groups. She has received many certificates and plaques for her achievements.
As a long-time member of the Blue Saints Marching Band, she loves playing the drums and travelling for performances. The band participates in local, provincial, and national events, ranging from the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Montreal and the Peach Festival in Niagara to Christmas parades in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and summer parades along the highway ending at Six Flags in Michigan which they attend yearly.
Her favourite pastime is keeping up with actors, singers, live productions, and events. Her favourite singers include Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, LeAnn "Freakin" Rimes, Cher, Madonna, Adele, Elton John, and Michael Bublé. Her favourite actors include Pascale Hutton, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Hudson, Adam Sandler, Jamie Foxx, Elaine Hendrix, Drew Barrymore, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, and Meryl Streep. Some of her favourite movies and shows include The Devil Wears Prada, Burlesque, The Blind Side, Mamma Mia!, Lovestruck, Murder Mystery, When Calls the Heart, Song Sung Blue, and Bad Moms.
She stays active through alpine skiing, swimming, basketball, curling, treetop trekking, equestrian sports, and skating.
In May 2025, Bella graduated from Cambrian College with a diploma in Social Work. She is currently attending Laurentian University (LU) to complete her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Social Work. Her bright future plans include a career as a social worker, a musical performer, travelling, adopting two toddlers, and maintaining an independent lifestyle.
In the summer of 2025, she faced a minor medical setback. After months of tests, she was diagnosed with Diabetes. She is now embracing the challenge of exploring all food groups while remaining both (GF) and sugar-free (SF).
As a (TS) Butterfly, she still asks her grandma the most important question every night: "What’s for dinner?"
 |
| In her element |
 |
| The Show Must Go On |
.jpeg) |
| Turner Syndrome |
Comments
Post a Comment