Rhandyl: [00:00:00] Hey y'all. Welcome back to Raising Disabled. Today we are chatting with Miracle Pelayo. She is an actor model fashion content creator. Creator Miracle is the perfect name for you because you're living your best life and you're so successful despite your cerebral palsy diagnosis. And I'm just so excited to hear your story and your plans for the future. So miracle. Just to start out, will you tell us about where you're from and about your family? 

Miracle: Well, hello everybody. My name is Miracle Pelayo and I am from Los Angeles, California. And, I wanna start off with how I got my name. So, I'm a pre survivor at 23 weeks, and when I was born I weighed one pound, two ounces, then I went to 14 ounces with a 5% survival rate. The doctors originally told my mom to terminate the pregnancy with me because I had a 5% survival rate, and if I did [00:01:00] survive, I would be, at the time they used the word retarded. Mm-hmm. Blind, deaf, deformed. I was basically gonna be a vegetable for the rest of my life.

I was in the NICU for about four months and I came home perfectly healthy, just in time for Mother's Day. And I was diagnosed with spastic diplegia, cerebral palsy at eight months old. 

Rhandyl: Wow. 23 week. And how old are you now? 

Miracle: I'm 33

Rhandyl: that's amazing. Like 23 weekers I mean, that is, you go by your name. That is for sure. And also what caused my mom, especially that day and age. Yeah, that's, yeah. Amazing. 

Miracle: So what caused my mom to go into premature labor was a kidney infection. Oh man. Yeah. So. She did not take anything when she went into labor with me. No epidural, nothing, no medicine. There were about 23 doctors in the delivery room, including, I wanna say about maybe 14 [00:02:00] interns and 23 doctors. I was Irvine's first preemie to survive at 23 weeks. 

Deonna: That is amazing. That is not a award you want No. To have to go through. But it's amazing that, oh my goodness, that is just crazy. Like, it's so crazy when they tell you the percentages and then you overcome them. It's, mm-hmm. It's amazing. Both of our daughters have overcome.

Things that they weren't supposed to either. And it's just, it really is a miracle. Mm-hmm. And I, I love hearing about your mom making that decision, because that had to have been very, very, very scary. Like, I mean, ugh. Oh man. 

Miracle: My parents are very faithful. , We are believers. Mm-hmm. So they got all of our church to pray for me in the hospital. Mm-hmm. And I came home just in time for Mother's Day. There were no issues. The doctors were like, she's the perfect way to go home. So I'm, I'm the middle child of my family, so I have, two older brothers and one younger [00:03:00] sister. Okay. So, um, so we navigated my childhood along with CP and, we made it work. And I love my family. I wouldn't be where I am today without them, honestly. 

Rhandyl: That's awesome. So you have three siblings, you said? Two older brothers, yes. And a younger sister. Oh, wow. Mm-hmm. That, so 

Deonna: I, they all stay close to each other now. Yeah. Yeah. 

Miracle: Well, my oldest brother, he's in his forties, and then my other brother is in his forties. And then my sister, Lizzie, is in her thirties. And then I am in my thirties as well. Lizzie and I are the, closest in age. Mm-hmm.

Deonna: Do y'all live in the same area or do they live far away? 

Miracle: Well, my, oldest brother Gilbert lives in Long Beach, and then my brother Peter and his fiance live in Los Alamitos. And then we live in, downtown LA my sister and my mom, my dad. And my niece Abigail, my sister's daughter who lives with us. So, um, we we're all very, very close. 

Deonna: That's neat that you guys all [00:04:00] live close. I feel like siblings who have a disabled sibling, it's just so neat when they can live close as an adult. Yeah. Because they have a very different sibling experience, I feel like. Yeah. And so, like my son has said, I can't imagine ever living really far away from her. And I don't think every like, typical siblings maybe feel that way all the time. Yeah. That's how he feels, you 

Miracle: know? Yeah. I mean, people have asked my sister Lizzie all the time, like, what's it like being the sibling of somebody who has a disability? And she, is like, mm-hmm. It's amazing. It's, so much fun. 'cause, doing what I do, we take everybody with us and so it's a whole thing. Oh yeah. So we, we have fun. My sister and I, we really have fun together. , We do basic sibling stuff. Like we watch movies together. We fight over each other's clothes. She's constantly, she's constantly in my closet all the time and yeah, she's, I'm sure I, I love. Yeah, [00:05:00] it's, a lot of fun. And my brothers are so overprotective.

Rhandyl: I was gonna ask that.

Miracle: Yeah, they're very overprotective. , They will go to the ends of the earth for me, 

Deonna: I, I love that big brother aspect 'cause that's how my son is too. And yeah, it's so funny, like we've talked to him before about, I don't like, promote violence or anything, but, um, we've talked in the past and Cole's, like, uh, I said the only reason you could ever fight somebody is if they were mean to your little sister. And he's like, oh yeah, yeah, okay. I was like, I'm just kidding. Like, but I think that's the only reason he would ever even do that is 'cause he's. So overprotective of her, it's like, yeah. Oh goodness. There's stories we can't even tell him where people have not been nice to her because I don't think he could handle the information. 

Miracle: No. Well, my sister is the same way. 'Cause there's still moments where when we're out and about and I'll get stared at Oh, yeah. And my, my sister will stare at the back and she's [00:06:00] like, do you have something that you wanna say? You know, like, don't stare register. You know, like, stop it. Yes. You know. Love that.

Deonna: They're so feisty. Oh my goodness. That's hilarious. Mm-hmm. . 

Rhandyl: So you've broken barriers in the entertainment industry. So what first drew you to acting and modeling? Like listening to you through your social media, it seems like theater really was an inspiration for you. So when did you start theater and all of that, and how did it get to where you are now? 

Miracle: So, growing up, my dad would always videotape me on our video recorder that you can convert into like a VHS tape. I'm gonna make Yeah, old now, but I know my dad would always say Miracles on tv, miracles on tv, and I literally thought I had my own TV show, so Oh my gosh. And so , I would just get in front the camera and be like, hi, I'm [00:07:00] Miracle, it's the Miracle Show. And my dad would always just follow me around with the camcorder.

But also around that time I was a part of a Boys and Girls wheelchair club called Winners on Wheels in Long Beach. And it was just . Like a social group where we can do a lot of stuff together. We would go to Disney on ice, we would go to libraries and we even had a mascot in a wheelchair named Willie Willian and he was a dog. So cute. That's awesome. 

I was with Winters on Wheels from, I wanna say about maybe seven years old to about 14. And around that time we had a performing arts group called Kids on Stage for a Better World that was directed and choreographed by Grounded for Life's Lynsey Bartilson and I became childhood friends with one of the members of the group, Michaela Jill Murphy, who is the voice of Toph and Avatar: The Last Airbender on Nickelodeon. Mm-hmm. And, um, so she and I grew up together and then, around that time I started [00:08:00] taking , singing lessons just so I can work on, trying to get into some kind of performing.

And I told my voice teacher at the time, I really wanna audition for kids on stage. Mm-hmm. So, long story short, my dad got in contact with Michaela's mom, and he was like, Miracle really wants to audition for kids on stage. Can we get her an audition? And all of these kids were able bodied. So I, I was worried that if I make it in will they accept me? Mm-hmm. So I was like, you know what? I wanna take a leap of faith and do it anyway.

So I auditioned in front of Lynsey and I made it into the group. I was the only disabled member. I did over 30 shows with them. And then I took my final bow in 2009. And then at once I was in middle school and in high school, that is when theater started, like for real. So I did theater all my four years of high school, middle school. And then after I graduated high school, I was constantly telling my parents, I wanna get into acting, I wanna get, it was nonstop. I was asking them every day. They're like, okay, okay. Okay.

So, mm-hmm. Um, [00:09:00] one summer in 2013, I went to SAG- AFTRA with my dad on, it was just a informational meeting on how to get started. Yeah. Um, as I'm leaving the building, this woman stops me, and at the time it was my agent that I had for 10 years, and she was like, how old are you?

And, and I said, at the time, I was 20, so I was freshly out of high school. . So she got me in a meeting at Starbucks with her, with my mom, and she's like, let's get you going. So I got my first set of headshot and I did my first general audition for Disney with my sister. And it's been a journey ever since then. So from 2013 to up until now was when I started working professionally.

Rhandyl: Wow. Wow. Cool. Two months outta high school. You, yeah. You got in there quick. You followed that dream. 

Deonna: I thought about my daughter started doing a little production camp here called Moonlight Musicals. Mm-hmm. And I was, I was really anxious as [00:10:00] mom because it was like she would be the only kid in a wheelchair there. I was just nervous, like, are the kids going to. I don't know, just like accept her and stuff. And I was pleasantly surprised, which I was in theater and in chorus and like show choir and all that stuff growing up.

And I will say, I feel like the theater and the, chorus community is so accepting of anybody that's a little different or something. Like they just don't care the same way some other groups do. And I love that about them and it's been so fun. But yeah, we've gotten her into voice. That's kind of the path she's going down too. And so it's kind of fun to see you doing something that, 

Miracle: the funny story, about the singing. So like finally my mom sat me down, she's like, honey, can I please tell you something? And I was like, okay, what? She goes, I love you, but you sound like one of the, one of the Alvin and the Chipmunks dying. Can you please do something else? So I was like, okay, oh my gosh, can I get brutal into acting? I was like, can I get into acting? Please? Can I, can I just do that? She was like, okay, you [00:11:00] can do that. But no more singing. So like, I don't really do that anymore. So we just do the acting stuff. 

Deonna: You're like, I'm, I can't be Nessarose on Broadway, but I can do other stuff. Right? Yeah. I, oh my goodness. That's hilarious. Yeah. I don't know if my daughter loves to sing so much and it's really good for her breath control and just sort of trying to like put that breath out. I mean, it's good for her, but That's so cool. I love that you got into it and , there's just times where things just fall into place and it sounds like that agent was there at the right time to see you. Yeah. And all that. That's just really cool. 

Miracle: The agency that I'm with now, DDO artists they're absolutely incredible. I've been with them for over a year and, I love my agents and I love my manager. They are with me and for me 100%, and , they really see how hard I want this, and so, mm-hmm. They're like, , okay, if you want this, we'll work with you if you work with us. I cannot emphasize this enough, but teamwork does make the dream work. Yeah. [00:12:00] They, they are always in my corner. 

Deonna: Well, and I'm sure you need, , you're very tough on your own, but, that's such a tough business from what I've heard. Yeah. And so it's nice having people who are really pushing you to, you know, do your best and they know what you can do and, uh, mm-hmm. It sounds like they have a lot of faith in you, so that's really cool. 

Rhandyl: I feel like it might be a godsend or something of that sense from like , your place of birth and then mm-hmm. You know, where, where your family lives and then the connections that you Yeah. You got as a child and friendships and stuff. It's just like that all led you to, you're also living your dream. 

Miracle: Well also too, my parents took me to go see the Miracle Worker, the play on my 12th birthday. And I noticed that the girl playing Helen Keller was able-bodied playing a disabled character. And I turned to my dad and I said, dad, just watch me change that one day. Just watch me. And like, you know, when you're 12 old, you [00:13:00] know, your mind changes every five seconds. You're like, I wanna be a princess, I wanna be a doctor. But for me, it never changed. I was like, no, I wanna be an actress.

And so my parents were like, okay, you're gonna do this on one condition. You have to get a 4.0 GPA when you're in high school, you have to write cap and gown. And if you start acting like a diva Miracle, we're pulling you out. So I'm like, okay.

Rhandyl: Wow, they laid down the law. 

Deonna: They're not gonna let you get too big for your britches.

Miracle: They did. They did. Yeah. So I got that 4.0 GPAI graduated high school, all regular ed classes. I was mainstreamed outta special ed when I was in seventh grade. , So my parents. ,, like I said before, everybody's involved. They're behind me 1000%. 

Rhandyl: That's, that's amazing. It sounds like you have a very awesome family. Oh yeah, for sure. Very awesome. 

Deonna: Yeah, it is true. Because I've seen lots of times where I've seen a disabled person in like a show or a movie or something like that, and I go look them up and I would say [00:14:00] 90% of the time when I look up this person, they were a person pretending to be disabled. Yeah. And even my daughter the other day showed me a video of Nessa on Broadway, and I think she's the very first, the current one Yes.

Is the very first one to ever actually be disabled, , in a wheelchair. Mm-hmm. And I thought that's just crazy. That show is so old. Like why have they not been using until now? Exactly. But they have to make the back of the house, wheelchair accessible. There's things that people sometimes don't wanna go to the effort to do, so.

Mm-hmm. I'm sure that has a lot to do with it sometimes, but, yeah. , So we read through a bunch of the things that you have accomplished already in this industry, and I saw that you were the voice of an American girl with cerebral palsy. Yeah. And I just thought that was so cool. How did that, how did getting to do that [00:15:00] impact you?

Miracle: So, it's funny how the voiceover journey started. So, when I first started doing this, , my brother Peter was like, you gotta get into voiceover, you gotta get into voiceover. So, um, yeah. My manager at the time she actually submitted me for American Girl Doll. And , I worked with an acting coach that I had at the time. And we worked on the Voice for Lilly And at the time, I was finishing up my twenties . , So I got the audition on my mom's birthday. And I booked it on Holy Thursday.

I sent in , the voiceover demo to the casting director. And I waited about a week and then I got a text message from my manager at the time saying, you just booked American Girl Doll. You're the first American girl doll with cerebral palsy. And I was just bawling my head out. Like I was, I was, my mom was crying and so, oh wow. Yeah, Lilly is the first American girl doll with cerebral palsy in American Girl Doll history, and she's 10, so it's been four years. So [00:16:00] Lilly is only featured in the YouTube series. Unfortunately, there's not an actual doll out., I did two episodes for Mattel, so, um. That's cool. The first episode is, uh, American Girl goes to the ballet, and that's Lilly's first full blown episode. It's been four years, but I, I love her so much. Oh, she'll always be a part of my heart, so I, I just, I love her. 

Deonna: When you do voiceover work, do you just use your regular voice or do you change it, or, I've always kind of wondered how that works.

Miracle: . Well, when I was working on it with my acting coach at the time, , we did it in a place where in some lines, my voice would go really high and then most of the time my voice would stay down low. Oh, okay. So like when she would say, my dream is to be the first wheelchair using prima ballerina. So it just, depends on the levels of the vocal. Range for Lilly. 

Deonna: That's cool. I, I know. 'cause it's, it is kind [00:17:00] of funny 'cause a lot of times, like adults are the ones doing the voices for little kids. Like I looked up one time who was doing the voice of Daniel Tiger and it was like a grown man and I was what in the world? Mm-hmm. And so I'm like, okay, they're changing their voices a lot. Like I didn't know. 

Miracle: But you know, it's it funny fact, I've actually never taken a voiceover class before. 

Deonna: Hey, if you've got it, you've got it right.

Rhandyl: Yeah. There you go. 

Miracle: So I did that. Audition with no voiceover classes whatsoever. I mean, all I did was get with my coach and we sent him the tape and I guess Jesus just worked his magic in some way. 

Deonna: That's how it goes a lot, I feel like. Yeah.

Rhandyl: So we all know disability representation in the media is still very limited, but it's getting better. But what do you wish casting directors and production teams understood about hiring disabled talent?

Miracle: What I [00:18:00] wish casting directors and writers and producers and executive producers would know that there is real talent out there. You just have to look really, really deep and mm-hmm. Just be more open and be more open-minded at this point, really go outside the box. That would be my message to all of the professionals in the industry like. Push the envelope open because we deserve a chance. 

Deonna: Yeah, I agree with that. , So I wanna hear all about working on Bella and the Bulldogs and some of your other acting jobs. My son, my son watched Bella and the Bulldogs back in the day.

He's 13 now, but he watched the whole thing. He loved that show. And then he rewatched it again a few years ago. And then, . A while back and then Allie's watched the whole show too. And I said, Hey, we're talking to this girl. She was in Belle and the Bulldogs and they both were like, oh yeah, yeah, we know her.[00:19:00] 

And I'm like, oh my gosh. So I was excited that you were in that show. 'cause they Thank you. Love that show. It's so cute. It's basically like a girl becomes the quarterback, right? And it's just a cute show. But tell us about getting that job because we love that show. 

Miracle: So that show was actually my third professional audition when I first started out. In 2016. I waited about a week and then I got the phone call and this was another life-changing moment for me. Nickelodeon had never had a actress in a wheelchair on the network before. So to make history with that, that's crazy, to make history with that was absolutely life changing.

And then after that, I got so many messages on Instagram from so many, special needs kids saying, thank you for paving the way for me. And the same thing happened with American Girl Doll. I got so many messages from special needs parents saying thank you for. My daughter or my son a voice [00:20:00] for what you're doing.

So I played Stacy on the show for two episodes in the second season. So I've been wanting to be on Nickelodeon since I was nine. So to do that at 27 was such a dream come true. And I'm so thankful to, the casting directors who were involved in the show, and thank you for fulfilling that dream for me and for opening up that door for someone else to do it down the future.

Rhandyl: Yeah. And it's nuts that, that was in 2016. It's been 10 years. 10 years ago. So it's just like crazy it's amazing that you were the first one and hopefully there's a lot more to follow, but it's unfortunate that, it took that long, , 

Miracle: but it's almost kind of like worth the wait. Yeah. You know, because, there's no time like the present. And so I'm forever grateful that during that time that, that door opened and mm-hmm. It's gonna start the movement in a way of having, the next person in a wheelchair to be on Nickelodeon but [00:21:00] I'm grateful that it was used as, the one that got it started.

Deonna: That's so cool. I do think there's a lot of movies that Allie watches and it is funny because I don't know if I noticed people being in wheelchairs or not before my daughter got hurt. Like it was just like, I was like everybody else who was just, you know, not as worried about advocating for that. Mm-hmm. And now, afterwards, like we noticed, in the Disney descendants movies, there's a girl in a wheelchair in a bunch of, 

Miracle: but she's not, but she's not really like, brought up on camera if you notice that. 

Deonna: No, she's in the background for sure. Yeah. But when my daughter Caesar, she's like, oh, okay. Like I see her, , and it makes her feel seen, you know? And so it is nice when they do that. But yeah, I do agree. I'm excited for the future and for them to do it more and more. 

Miracle: It's actually my next dream is to do a Disney Channel show. Oh. Um, I've been [00:22:00] wanting to be on Disney Channel since I was six years old.

Deonna: Oh, yeah. 

Miracle: Um, to do something like that would totally be a dream come true. 

Deonna: Well, we're, we're nineties kids, so, you know, Nickelodeon, rain Supreme, so, you know. Yeah. But yeah, di Disney and Disney's pretty inclusive a lot of the time. Yeah. But you know, they still have a ways to go for sure. 

Rhandyl: Right. Yeah. Right. So you started making CP beautiful, to empower women and girls. So what inspired you to merge fashion with disability advocacy? 

Miracle: Um, what started, what started that movement was I started to notice on social media that when you would post about disability, it was mostly focusing on the medical side. And I was like. I want to showcase it in a fun way. Mm-hmm. So I, accidentally went viral on Instagram. There was this song trending at the time. It's pretty Girls walk like this, this, oh yeah. [00:23:00] Um, I, I was outside in my walker and something was pulling on me to use that audio while I was walking in my walker. So my mom put a guest sweatshirt on me and I started using that audio while I was in my walker. Just walking. Yeah. The next thing I know, it hit 12,000 views, 30,000 views. And then I was like, okay, I think I found something here.

Yeah. So something pulled on me to start doing outfit of the days in my wheelchair just doing like cute little fit checks and things like that. And I started to notice that a lot of girls started to feel more confident in their wheelchairs based off of what I was doing. And then I started doing fashion content, photo shoots and collaborating with different photographers. . To showcase cerebral palsy in a most fashionable, confident way. To show young girls that you can be your own wheelchair baddy. It takes just one outfit to do everything. 

Deonna: So yeah, I like [00:24:00] that wheelchair baddy. We need to like, make stickers for that or something. We do. I do think I, I love that you are trying to take some of the seriousness out of it, because it is, and you know, we talk about serious things on here and me and Rhandyl post serious things, but at the end of the day, like we're trying to have fun and create this beautiful, happy life for our kids.

And, um, it just doesn't have to be so serious and reverent all the time. Like, you can have fun and do silly things and, um, that's what I like to post the most. I mean, she's just my kid and mm-hmm. We, we like to have fun and do, do outfits and I mean, my daughter loves the Oh yeah. She loves dressing up. Oh yeah.

Rhandyl: She just recently had a birthday and I mean. Every outfit. That's her favorite thing is the clothes. Like she does not care about the toys anymore. She's all about the clothes. I it, yes. And she loves, every [00:25:00] morning after we get her all dressed and her hair done, I put this big mirror in front of her and she's just like taking it all in. She checking herself out. So 

Miracle: she's in a full mood. Yes. 

Deonna: Yeah. Well, and Halloween is our Super Bowl. I, we plan out Halloween back, like in June. Like we already know what she's gonna do next year. And , that's just, I love it when you can have fun like that and not just be so serious about it. It's, mm-hmm. It's definitely supposed to be a fun life, but I, I know there's stuff, tough stuff that happens to you, but Yeah, I like that you've taken the lighter side on a lot of it. 

Miracle: Well also too, I get messages all the time of someone just recently said to me, she's like, I don't feel confident in my disability. How can I be confident? Like you? Yeah. I was like, just, just be yourself. Mm-hmm. That's all that matters, you know? Yes. Having a disability can be difficult at times, but think about it as your superpower. Mm-hmm. And how are you going to use it to change the world?

Rhandyl: I love that. 

Deonna: [00:26:00] I I love hearing you say that. 'Cause even the other day I was talking to my daughter and. We get down some deep conversations sometimes, but she was like, do you think I would've been as, , I can't remember her exact wording, but it was basically like, do you think I would've been as well known and as, , influential if I had not gotten paralyzed?

And I said, I don't know. We, we can't know what you mm-hmm. Would've been like. Mm-hmm. I, I don't know. That part's over, yeah. But like, honestly, I don't know if she would've been like, there's, yeah, there's this bad thing that's happened to her and now she's making waves, and it's like a big thing. And that's how you are, that's how Rhandyl's daughter Remi is. , They're making huge waves because of this thing that's happened to them and how they've chosen to mm-hmm. Kind of flip the switch on it a little bit. 

Miracle: You can think about it like this. Why me? Or why not me?

Why not me? To [00:27:00] change the outlook on someone's life while they're having a disability, because I recently posted on Facebook and saying, cerebral palsy is a gift, and somebody said to me, how can cerebral palsy be a gift? You're in a wheelchair. But it's how you see yourself. Maybe my wheelchair can be my wings to fly, you know? Think about it like, okay, who am I paving the way for? Mm-hmm. Who am I being a role model to? It's not just about I'm in a wheelchair. Life sucks. I mean, yeah, it's hard. You're gonna have ups and downs, but the most important thing is you don't give up. You don't. 

Deonna: Yeah. I love that.

 Rhandyl here I am a pediatric physical therapist assistant, working with this population over five years. I have treated dozens of children with cerebral palsy. Something I've always been passionate about is early intervention, standing protocols, and the importance of hip abduction. One in three children with CP [00:28:00] will develop progressive hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia can lead to hip dislocation, which can affect their ability to sit, stand, or walk, as well as cause pain.

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Deonna: So how do you think that fashion can play a role in how people view disability? 

Miracle: Well, the same thing goes for like the acting. I [00:29:00] think a lot of, fashion industries need to be more open to inclusivity. Mm-hmm. You know, I, and I know target is very inclusive, but mm-hmm. I think it needs to be more than just target. , It needs to open up to all of the clothing brands they need to mm-hmm. Disability representation. You know, it can't just be limited to one. And I think just more companies need to be aware of that. 

Deonna: Yeah, that's true. I do give kudos to Target because they are always pushing, like, you know, who they use as their models and things like that, and I appreciate that. But yeah, I do wish my daughter could see herself in more fashion ads mm-hmm. And things like that, but mm-hmm. Um, but it doesn't change the fact that she loves fashion. So I'm like, okay. There's, I'm glad, you know, she loves clothes and it's a lot of fun for her to mm-hmm. Express herself 

Rhandyl: Also, like you've said in past recordings for Allie, Deonna, she's [00:30:00] limited and so is Remi mm-hmm. They're limited for pressures and sores and seam mm-hmm. And stuff. And so not only representing them and their ads and things, but also just. Making a little more adaptive, stylish clothing. Mm-hmm. , It's getting better, but I feel like there's so much more that can happen.

Miracle: Well, back in 2019, I actually did a commercial for Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive, which is a clothing line for people with disabilities to independently dress themselves. Okay. And what was really special about this commercial is I actually got to wear a magnetic vest that was actually a t-shirt that I got to put on for the first time. And, um, wow. Whoa. The video, that small commercial clip has over 2 million views now. And it was so sweet. 'cause I actually got to do it with my sister. It was a really, really cool, I would just love for more brands to be more open, like Target and Tommy Hilfiger.

Deonna: Mm-hmm. [00:31:00] Yeah. That's cool. I didn't know Tommy had that stuff, which, you know, like I said, we're nineties kids, so Tommy Hilfiger also was a huge brand. Yeah, it was. Yeah, I do think that there's a lot of things , like for Allie, just little basic things she can't wear certain clothes because there's zippers in the back, or there's, pockets that could have the buttons that could cause pressure wounds, on her.

Mm-hmm. Bottom or , stuff like that. And it's stuff that could be so easily changed. Mm-hmm. But, you know, it's just. I don't know. But I do love seeing all these influencers. Like one of these girls that, , lives in Texas who got paralyzed, she was just in a runway show for , I think it was Victoria's Secret or something that awesome.

And I was like, okay, girl. , Here we go. I was like, yes, queen. Yeah. But it was really cool because they were featuring disabled models in their runway show, and I thought, okay, that's, that's something like, it was, it was exciting [00:32:00] for her. So it was making the barriers. Yeah. Yeah. 

Rhandyl: I love it. I can't wait to see what the future holds with, all things. Mm-hmm. Inclusivity. We're breaking the ice on it, but, 

Miracle: um, either have either of your daughters seen the movie Out of My Mind on Disney Plus?

Deonna: Oh my gosh, yes. So I actually did. Were you in that movie? 

Miracle: No, but I actually did the promo commercial for that movie Oh, cool. With, Disney Plus and, a company called Attention Uhhuh. I, I didn't get, I didn't get to meet Phoebe Ray Taylor, but she actually was a part of it with me through, a video chat.

Deonna: And she has cerebral palsy as well too, right?

Miracle: Yes.

Deonna: Okay. Yeah, I watched that, , my daughter wanted to watch it and I will be totally honest. I was like avoiding it because I thought. I can't, like emotionally go through this right now, you know? Yeah. So I'm avoiding it, and then my daughter's like, I really wanna watch this.

It's [00:33:00] about a girl in a wheelchair. And I thought, oh crap. , I was just like so nervous about watching it. Yeah. And it's mainly because I'm not a big, I don't like to cry ever, like I am a psycho. Mm-hmm. But, , we sat down, I'm crying like a minute into it, I'm crying, like psycho. I look over, my son is bawling, ally is crying, and I'm just like, oh my gosh.

But it really was kind of good because I, I don't let those tears get out very often. And I mean, we cried for an hour and a half straight. I told Rhandyl, I was like, that movie is so good, but , be ready. , It's, oh my gosh. 

Miracle: My mom, my mom cried. Watching it. Yeah. Yeah, it's, it's honestly my favorite movie on Disney Plus. Hands Down. 

Deonna: Yeah. It's a good movie and it really gives an insight into how like disabled people feel, I think because my daughter kept being like, [00:34:00] yes. Gosh, yes. And there's a part I remember really well where the mom kind of flies off the handle and starts yelling at the people at school. Mm-hmm. And Ally.

Yeah. And I've had to do this. Rhandyl's had to do this. Oh yeah, your mom's had to do this. And um, you know, it was real emotional for me to see her get so mad because she seemed kind of crazy. And then I realized that like, I also act that way sometimes and my daughter said, yeah, sometimes it's hard for me to see you get that upset even though you are doing it for me.

Yeah. And I thought, oh my gosh. Like I never thought about how my behavior. Was affecting her, I thought she just knew, oh, mom's doing this for me. So I support her fully. But the girl in the movie was like, no, mom, no, no, no. Stop, stop, stop. And I'm like, oh my gosh. Like, I've done this to my kid, you know? Yeah. But oh [00:35:00] no, it's, it's an emotional movie for sure. It is. I love it. 

Rhandyl: So you discussed it a little bit, but what advice would you give to young disabled girls who don't really see themselves represented in the media like we were talking about, or fashion yet, or maybe struggling with not feeling beautiful?

Miracle: I would say, let your disability be the spark to start a change. Let your disability be even the conversation starter, we get asked all the time, like, why are you in a wheelchair? Like, oh, I'm so sorry. You have to go through that. I'm like, first of all don't feel sorry for us. Ask us about what happened. Mm-hmm. You know, don't be afraid to ask questions, , but it's not just adults, it's parents teaching their kids Yes. How to interact with somebody with a disability, don't teach them to stare, teach them to go up to them and say hi. So if there's anybody who's listening to this and you're [00:36:00] struggling with like, why do I have this disability? Think about what could I do to start a movement to show people like, okay, I'm in a wheelchair, but I can still live my life. And that's what I want people to know is that cerebral palsy might be a life condition, but it doesn't stop us from living our life. If there's anybody out there who's struggling, who just recently got a disability diagnosis, your story has just beginning, it's not over. And yes, you're gonna have days, but at the end of the day, just keep going. Just keep pushing , and you're gonna find your way. 

Deonna: That's really good advice for parents of disabled kids too, because I know when you, when you get the diagnosis for your kid, you feel like life's over or whatever, and then you really do just have to keep pushing and keep going.

Yeah. And it sounds kind of cliche, but it's not like you have to just wake up every day, be like, okay, we're gonna do this [00:37:00] today. It's a choice and we're gonna have a good day. And like, that's all you can do is just do your best. 

Miracle: It's also, it's also about the mindset too. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, , if you're gonna be down about yourself, your body can physically feel it, yes. Mm-hmm. Um,, so like one of the things that I do when I get up in the morning is like, okay, where do I need to be a voice for somebody today? , Where does God need me to go today for somebody who do I need to speak inspiration and life to? Like, that's why I started posting about my journeys on social media to be the one, be the trailblazer that, makes people get up in the morning, who have the disabilities that they're going through. A disability does not stop you. It motivates you. 

Deonna: Mm-hmm. Oh, there's people who are disabled, who have done things that able body people will never do, and it's just because it's, it's like a challenge. And they're like, I'm gonna do it. Just watch me. Mm-hmm. And , it's even funny sometimes to [00:38:00] think of what our daughters have done that they maybe wouldn't have done if they had just been like everybody else. So what do you think has been the biggest challenge in your career, and how did you overcome that challenge?

Miracle: I think the biggest challenge is to still work on making more awareness about disability representation. And how I overcame that was just by showing up. Mm-hmm. So, like when I, when I get an audition, I do it because there's not a lot of rules for actors with disabilities because there's about 4% of actors with disabilities being portrayed on screen. 99% of the time it's still going to able-bodied actors playing disabled characters. So whenever I get an audition, I think to myself like, okay, this is your time to show casting directors what you can do and what needs to happen to make a change. 

Rhandyl: So just keep showing [00:39:00] up. I love it. 

Miracle: Yeah. That's all you can do. Keep showing up, keep showing up, keep knocking on the door and be like, Hey, I'm here. Lemme show you what I, lemme show you what I can do and lemme, lemme show you what I've got. Let me break down my door with my cerebral palsy power. 

Rhandyl: Yeah. Yes. You are obviously so motivated but what keeps you motivated on tough days?

Miracle: Honestly, my relationship with God. Mm-hmm. He is my strength. He is my defender. Without him, I would not be here. So when I get up in the morning and I spend time with him and I pray, I am like, okay, Lord take me where you wanna go and just lead me. So whenever I go through my tough days, I just think , okay. God gave me this journey and this platform to be a light and to be a voice for others. So whenever I have a tough day, I'm like, okay, I need to get outta this funk to be the [00:40:00] waymaker for somebody else because of him. Because without him, I would not be here like my, mm-hmm. my testimony is going to move hearts and that's what he wants me to do. So all of my strength comes from my relationship with the Lord. 

Deonna: I like what you said about him being your defender, because I think sometimes us as the moms and the, I think dads especially sometimes feel this way, like we take it upon ourselves to be the defender for our disabled kids.

And sometimes I don't trust God enough to do that. Like I think, well, yeah, okay. He's sort of got her, but like it falls on me. Mm-hmm. Which isn't true. I, I actually don't , believe that, but that's how I act a lot. Mm-hmm. I have to be that, that person for her because I don't think God's enough. And hearing you say that reminds me that, you know, maybe I can chill a little bit and step back.

Yeah. And I think God uses the parents as a tool. [00:41:00] You know for sure. But , there's times where I get a little too upset or a little too feisty about Allie's care or whatever, and you know, she has God defending her and taking care of her better than I ever could, you know? 

Miracle: Well, I also wanna share a message with the disabled parents. God chose you to be the earthly parents, but at the end of the day, he is our Heavenly Father, and he knows what's right for us and what's right for your mm-hmm. For his child. Because he says in scripture, I have called you by name and you are mine. 

Deonna: Yeah. There's this, uh, episode. Have y'all seen the show, young Sheldon?

Yes. Well, in the show when he says, , this infinite amount of moms that could have been mine basically, but you became my mom and you're the perfect mom for me.

Oh. And like, what are the odds of that? And I think about that a lot because your mom was chosen to be your mom, and she probably has skills that were just for you. Like, if Allie told me she wanted to be [00:42:00] an actress, I might be like, oh, okay. You know, but your mom didn't react that way. You know, she was right for you.

And it is cool how we all end up with the right kid at the right time. I mean, that can't be a coincidence, you know? 

Miracle: Well, when I was diagnosed with cp, my mom had her days because my childhood, just to talk about it for a minute, revolved around a lot of hospital visits with surgeries back to back to back to back.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. Mm-hmm. My mom was with me co like both my parents. Um, yeah, my mom and my dad were with me constantly. So my childhood was great. But I just went through a lot of surgeries , and then dealing with a lot of , health issues like I mentioned before. But honestly, my mom said like she would go through it all over again. Because she knew that God chose her to be my mother. 

Rhandyl: I feel the same way. Yeah. Mm-hmm. 

Deonna: Yeah. And it's crazy when we say that 'cause it's hard. 

Rhandyl: Oh, it is. It's hard. You know, I mean, trust me there. Yeah. There's days where, especially [00:43:00] early on, why her? Why me? And I just love mm-hmm. That when you said , why not? , I feel the same way, even as a caregiver, i've said this a lot in previous episodes, but there's no way that, I could get through my day, without the Lord, through the last nine years of raising my daughter., But just hearing mm-hmm. You say that that's something that I pray that my daughter feels that whatever happens that day that it's, in God's hands and whether she has mm-hmm. Her caregivers, with her nurses, whether it be, myself or my husband, but mm-hmm. Ultimately. It's God.

And , it made me think of my husband and I recently took a vacation, the far away we've been from her, , and it was so scary. And I just remember like getting on the airplane, that's all I prayed for, was , please, keep her safe and you know, but I also knew it's outta my hands. There's literally nothing I can do. And it just gave me a peace and, thank the Lord, everything was good. But now it opened me [00:44:00] up to just realizing , there's nothing that you can do. And it's just mm-hmm. It's scary. But it was also eye-opening in a way.

Miracle: You know, my parents are both prayer warriors. Like my mom gets up at four o'clock in the morning to pray every day. And so she always ask God, , gimme the strength to take care of my children. Mm-hmm. Um, and , like not only is this my testimony, but it's also my mom's too, especially my mom. I'm so thankful to her.

And, , just to talk about my testimony for a minute. So , I created my own relationship with the Lord when I was only two years old. If I can be very personal for a minute, the very first time that I actually heard his voice was, I, I was only two. And I remember sitting up in my crib and my mom could hear me talking, but she didn't know who I was talking to. So she said, who is she talking to? And I said, mom, at the time I was talking to Jesus. And the very first thing that he said to me was, miracle Mary, do you know how much I love you?

And so from there, I just started walking with the Lord very, very deeply. And at the age of [00:45:00] seven, he gave me my first charism gift of intercessory prayer. And then as I got older, he started to reveal himself to me. The deeper and deeper I went into my relationship with him and I actually, when I was four, I actually prayed for my vocation and I said, Lord, what do you want me to do for my life to be fulfilled in you? And he said to me, I'm going to give you a talent miracle that's gonna change the world. And through that you were gonna bring my prodigal sons and my prodigal daughters to me who have cerebral palsy. And I didn't know that it was gonna be acting, but like he then showed me a vision of him behind the camera where I was on set, and I saw the color green, which is the color for cerebral palsy. , So that's how everything started, was because I prayed for my vocation when I was just a little girl. 

Rhandyl: Wow. Wow. 

Deonna: It is crazy how I feel, like, I feel like stuff happens that can't be explained and Oh, yeah. [00:46:00] Even like, I've told Rhandyl this before, but you know, after my daughter coded for the first time when she was four years old.

And, um, you know, it, it's happened many times since as this happened with, uh, Rhandyl's daughter. But, you know, she had never talked about heaven to me or anything like that. And then after she came back from her first code, which was, you know, maybe 30, 40 seconds or something, I'm not really sure. Oh my gosh.

Uh, but then all of a sudden she started talking about heaven and asking me all these questions about who was gonna be there. And I just thought, what? Like, why are you talking to me about all this all sudden? And it's, I was telling somebody about this yesterday, like, where are you when you're coding?

Where? Mm-hmm. Where's your mm-hmm. Like, you know, so there's so many. Interesting things that happen. And it is crazy because I feel like disabled people, I don't know, like I just feel like Jesus has a special connection with all of us. Oh, yeah. But I feel like with disabled children, it's just this connection [00:47:00] that is Yeah.

Different. A little bit. And it's, it's amazing. Like it is miraculous in a way. 

Rhandyl: Yeah. My daughter's nonverbal. I mean, she's semi verbal, but not verbal enough to like express. But whenever she has her spells where she goes unconscious and we mm-hmm. We get her back and resuscitate her. Yeah. And it happened so much when she was little that I. I mean, it became just something I said every time she would snap back out of it, I'm like, mm-hmm. Did you just need to go visit Jesus today for that moment? You know? And she would always smile whenever I would say that. And I still, to this day when it happens, thankfully it's fewer and far between that she has to go that mm-hmm. Far to go see Jesus, that goes to Jesus. But, um,

Miracle: Well, there's a quote that I love and it's, , God can turn your mess into a message, a test, into a testimony. Mm-hmm. A trial into a triumph and a victim into a victory. 

Deonna: That's very true. I love [00:48:00] that. All four of those I do too. I'm gonna have to write that down. Yeah. I I do feel like, at the beginning you start out very victimized and very, all the things, but Oh, yeah. , I've had people say, I wish I could have your perspective on life without going through what you've been through.

And that's just not possible because I think each of us has our own unique perspective. But you have to walk through the fire sometimes. Yeah. Or go through the fire, whatever it may be. 

Rhandyl: And like you said, turn a mess into a message. I mean, that's what we're doing with this podcast. That's what you are doing.

Miracle: You know, there's someone in the fire with you who's holding your hand mm-hmm. And who loves you traditionally. And no matter how many times you walk through that fire, you're just gonna walk out with the, with the flame of the Holy Spirit, and he's gonna carry you through it.

Deonna: Yeah, I, I think about the 23rd Psalm a lot, and it's something I had never thought about much. I mean, it's like everybody has that memorized and [00:49:00] about how you're walking through the valley of mm-hmm. Shadow of death. Mm-hmm. And I'm like, oh, that sounds terrible. And then it talks about how, you know, he can make you lie down and pastures and I never thought about how.

God can take you from fire and things like that to having the peace of being able to lie down, you know? Yeah. And that's something we all get to experience, um, because we know him, but it, it doesn't always start out that way. I definitely was walking through the fire and not feeling that piece initially, but mm-hmm.

It, it took some work for sure. He had to work on me quite a bit actually because I was very Ight, but, you know. Yeah. I love that. I'm gonna have to write that down. Mm-hmm. 

Miracle: You know, just, when it all becomes too much, all he's asking of us is to just rest back in his arms and find peace and serenity in him. Mm-hmm. That's all we can do. That 

Deonna: really is all we can do. We think we can do other things, but we have no control over the situation. [00:50:00] No. 

Miracle: I wanted to ask you guys if we can pray together really quick. There's something pulling on my heart to pray with you guys. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Heavenly father. You say we're two or more, and gather you're here with us.

Lord, thank you for this beautiful time I pray that you will continue to open their hearts to you and continue to bless their children. Lord, we know the crosses that we carry, that you gave us unconditionally with your love. But Lord, we know that there's a purpose in the cross, even with all of our disabilities.

Lord, just, I just pray that you would show up and reveal yourself to these beautiful moms and that this podcast would, and this episode would be anointed. Thank you for giving me your words to speak. Thank you for using the gift of the Holy Spirit to transform into their hearts. I just pray for them individually, Lord, whatever battles they're going through, whatever, whatever it might be, mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, or psychological, that Lord you would show them and that [00:51:00] you would tell them that you have the victory.

And when I ask this in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. 

Deonna: Amen. Thank you so 

Miracle: much for that. That's 

Deonna: really special that you did for us. You're welcome. We need prayers from any and everybody at all time. Oh man. Okay. So, , our last question for you before we go is, what is next for you? What are you hoping, personally or professionally is next for you?

Miracle: Personally, I just want my story to be touched by many people's hearts. Mm-hmm. Um, I want to change the message about disability and turn it into a positive instead of the negative side. Mm-hmm. Um, professionally, I would just love to be on Hulu at some point. , And, personally,. I just want to continue to, to share my testimony and to give people hope and truly believing in that miracles still do [00:52:00] happen. All you have to do is just look to the heavenly Father and just know that he loves you and has a plan for you. 

Rhandyl: Amen. I love that. So we really appreciate, I mean, gosh, this has been such a fabulous conversation. I hate to wrap it up, but, um, I know it's, yeah I know you hate when people tell you that you're an inspiration, but you really are, and I can't wait.

I really want my daughter, like, I can't wait for this episode so I can share it with my kids and family it's gonna be great. But you wanna tell us your social media handles, where people can follow you, find you all the things, 

Miracle: so, so my website is miraclepelayo.com my Instagram, it's a verified account, it's @miraclepelayooficial. My TikTok is @miraclepelayo_. My Twitter/X is @miraclepelayo20, and my Snapchat is @miraclepelayo23. 

Rhandyl: Girl, you got it going on. I [00:53:00] know. Yeah, , we'll add all those to our show notes and links so that you guys can click follow, share. All the things for Miss Miracle. Thank you so much. Thank you. We are so glad to have you on and can't wait to share this episode with the world. 

Miracle: Thank you for having me.

**Disclaimer

Before we go, I wanna remind our listeners that this podcast is for the purpose of education and entertainment only, and is not a replacement for seeing a doctor. We suggest you seek out the help of a trained professional for help with your child's specific situation.