NEW BRITAIN, Conn. — Sedaya Mayfield has never known the words “Welcome Home” because the 8th-grader has lived in the Hospital for Special Care in New Britain since she was just six months old.
The 14-year-old girl suffers from Larsen’s Syndrome, a disorder of bone development caused by a genetic mutation. This condition that Mayfield continues to battle has resulted in more than 20 surgeries and confined her to a wheelchair; she has been plagued by respiratory difficulties as well.
But, despite the steep challenges Mayfield has faced, with the help of the expert medical team at the Hospital for Special Care, she was allowed to leave the pediatric wing and move in with her family at their home about 10 minutes from the hospital.
On May 6th, dozens of doctors, nurses, and therapists at the Hospital for Special Care stood by the front doors to give her a grand send-off.
“I prayed for this day to come. I knew it would come, I just didn’t know when,” her mother Shawnda Bennett, said.
The city of New Britain assisted the teenager's family and helped to move them into a new home a month ago – one that is more accessible for her needs. She has now joined older brother Savon, 23, sister Atyjaha 16, and younger brother Andrae Jr., 11, at the new house where she now has a room of her own.
“It’s amazing,” said Mayfield, who has a trach tube so her speech is compromised but her smile is bright. “I always wanted a new room,” she added.
'I prayed for this day to come'
“This is a great day, I’ve been waiting for this day for 14 years, we’re finally all together," her father, Andrae, said.
Mom Shawnda added: “This is the first time we are all going to feel complete, this is the best Mother’s Day gift ever.”
The Mayfield family has set up a GoFundMe page for Sedaya to help with the medical costs. For more info or to donate, click here.
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