The Ice Is in My Veins: Dahlia’s Cerebral Palsy Journey Through Adaptive Sports and Advocacy
Photographer: Kacey Chadwick (CA)
Do you ever feel the need to blast Spice Girls, throw up a peace sign, and shout “GIRL POWER” into the mirror?
That’s Dahlia.
Not in a pretend, dress-up kind of way but in the real show-up-anyway kind of way. The kind of girl power that doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t shrink to fit expectations, and doesn’t stop when things get hard.
Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy the day after her second birthday, Dahlia’s journey has never followed a traditional path. She cannot stand or walk without a mobility device, and from the very beginning, she has lived with high tone and spasticity that has caused her pain her entire life. But Dahlia has never been interested in being defined by what she can’t do… only by how far she’s willing to go.
On January 21, 2025, just one day before her fourth birthday, Dahlia underwent a life-changing procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy. What followed was six weeks of intense inpatient rehabilitation, where she had to relearn everything her body once knew from the waist down. She relearned how to move her legs independently, how to roll, how to crawl, and eventually, how to walk. Doctors didn’t expect her to leave walking with her walker, but Dahlia had other plans. She walked out anyway!
The surgery helped reduce her tone and spasticity and gave her the ability to walk on flat feet, but it didn’t erase the challenges entirely. Dahlia still experiences daily pain. And still, she shows up unwilling to sit on the sidelines of her own life. Because for Dahlia, movement isn’t just physical, it’s power.
While she was inpatient, Dahlia attended a sled hockey game that changed everything. What started as a moment became a calling. She didn’t just watch, she connected. “The ice is in my veins,” she said, and from that moment on, her love for adaptive sports became part of her identity.
Since then, Dahlia has stepped into a world built on adaptation, courage, and fearless exploration. She has participated in assisted 5Ks with an adaptive running team, completed a 12-mile bike ride using her adaptive bike, and took on a duathlon using both her bike and her walker. She has embraced adaptive skiing, tennis, dance, and multi-sport programs that have allowed her to move, compete, and show up fully. She isn’t waiting for the world to include her; she’s showing the world how inclusion is done.
During a visit to an art show at Mary Free Bed, Dahlia met Miss Wheelchair Michigan, and the connection between them was instant girlhood, strength, and representation meeting in one powerful moment. That encounter led to Dahlia being crowned Little Miss Wheelchair Michigan 2025. Later that year, at the Miss Wheelchair America competition, Dahlia stood among powerful, inspiring women who redefined what leadership looks like. By the end of the week, after lifelong friendships were formed, the board approached Dahlia with something that had never been done before… inviting her to become the very first Little Miss Wheelchair America.
With that title came an even stronger voice. Dahlia’s platform, “Learn. Play. Grow.,” is a reflection of everything she embodies, creating a world where all abilities can exist side by side. Where kids and adults alike can learn together, play together, and grow together without limits or barriers.
Since stepping into this role, Dahlia’s advocacy has taken off. From sports to fashion shows, interviews to community events, she continues to show that strength doesn’t look one way, and neither does leadership. She uses her voice to highlight accessibility, inclusiveness, and the beauty of adapting the world so everyone has a place in it. Her family shares her story not just to celebrate her, but to reach others, to offer connection, resources, and hope to families who may still be searching for what’s possible because they remember what it felt like to need that, too.
Dahlia’s journey is a reminder that disability does not mean limitation; it means innovation, resilience, and redefining what strength looks like. It’s a reminder that girls like Dahlia don’t just take part… they take up space, they lead boldly, and they shift the narrative for everyone coming behind them.
Her story is still unfolding, and her impact is only just beginning. Her family hopes to continue building community, sharing resources, spreading awareness about the Miss Wheelchair America organization, and raising support so Dahlia can continue saying yes to every opportunity that allows her to advocate, inspire, and lead.
Because when Dahlia shows up, she doesn’t just join in; she changes the energy in the room.
Dahlia is not defined by her diagnosis. She is defined by her strength, her joy, and her refusal to be anything less than fully, unapologetically herself.
About Ms. Wheelchair America & Supporting Dahlia’s Journey
More than a crown, more than a title, Miss Wheelchair America is a movement rooted in advocacy, leadership, and amplifying the voices of women and girls who use wheelchairs.
At its core, the organization exists to empower individuals to step into leadership roles using their lived experiences to educate, advocate, and create a more inclusive world. Through mentorship, community, and national visibility, Miss Wheelchair America is helping reshape how society understands disability, proving that it is not a limitation, but a powerful and necessary perspective.
For Dahlia, this mission is deeply personal.
Being named the first-ever Little Miss Wheelchair America has opened doors for her to advocate in ways her family once only hoped for—from adaptive sports and community events to speaking opportunities and raising awareness about accessibility and inclusion. It has given her a platform to live out her message of “Learn. Play. Grow.” and to show other children and families what is possible.
As Dahlia continues her journey, her family is working to raise support to help her say yes to the opportunities ahead, whether that’s traveling for advocacy events, participating in programs, or continuing to build connections within the disability community.
If you feel moved by Dahlia’s story and want to be part of the impact she’s making, your support helps carry her mission forward.
To learn more about Miss Wheelchair America and their work, visit:
https://www.mswheelchairamerica.org/
Follow along on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/ms_wheelchair_america/
