ST. LOUIS — The first thing you should know about Brenna Beffa is that she's almost always smiling.
"Brenna is always so positive about everything," her dad Matt Beffa said. "She's very bubbly, very outgoing, never met a stranger."
The next thing you should know is that lights out at MDA Camp doesn't mean she's ready for bed.
"No, I do not go to bed!," she laughs.
Why go to bed when there is so much to do?
When Brenna was born however, her parents weren't sure what to do.
"When we brought Brenna home from the hospital, I remember Matt and I looking at each other and saying something just isn't right," Brenna's mom Jenny recalled.
After many trips to the doctor and dozens upon dozens of tests, doctors finally said two ugly words: Mitochondrial Myopathy.
"What that means is that her body does not convert to energy the way that everyone else's does," Jenny explains.
Mitochondrial Myopathy causes muscle weakness, movement disorders, seizures and array of other issues. But the disease is no match for Brenna and her family.
"We're always just looking for the best options for Brenna," Matt said. "What can we do to give her the best success that she needs?
The Beffas say MDA has been on their journey since the beginning.
From their St. Louis clinic to Brenna's favorite place on earth, MDA Camp.
"I get to be with kids that are like me! , "Brenna exclaims. "Our muscles work differently because at school nobody is like me."
"It was really a sense of belonging is what she always talks about," added Jenny. "For Matt and I, it's support emotionally more than anything."
At one point, the Beffa's weren't even sure that Brenna would be able to walk. Now, Brenna has big dreams for when she's grows up.
"I think I want to be a scientist and find a cure for Muscular Dystrophy or something big, "she says.
Just one more reason, why the Beffa family believes it's important to give what you can.
"MDA is local, the money stays here, "says Jenny. "These kids live in our community, they go to our schools, they are going to be our future."
