Doctors say 8-month-old Zailynn Mars doesn’t have a lot of time left to live.
But her Wisconsin family is making sure that Zailynn has the chance to experience as many of life’s highlights as she can.
In August, Zailynn was diagnosed with a fatal condition called spinal muscular atrophy, a nerve cell disorder that will prevent her from walking, eating and eventually breathing, her family told ABC News.
“In August she could hold her head up a little bit for a couple of seconds with support, and now she’s got none of that,” her mother, Katie Mars, told Newsmax. “She’s got to lay flat pretty much 95 percent of the time so she keeps her airway clean.”
Her father, Cory Mars, said the family created a bucket list of 51 things to do with their baby girl before she succumbs to the disease. Doctors expect Zailynn will live about two more years, her father said.
“Mainly we are trying to create memories for our daughter that every kid should experience,” Mars said. “People have been helping us check things off her bucket list. It makes me see as a father that there are good people out there.”
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The first thing on the list was to walk Zailynn down the aisle – a special event the daddy and daughter did in September at a friend’s wedding. The family also is staging a mock prom for Zailynn at their church, according to the report.
Other items on the list include dressing up like a princess (completed), going to the zoo (completed), going fishing and catching a fish, making a snow angel, going to a football game, and singing karaoke with daddy.
The family said they want to raise awareness about their daughter’s condition and give her the best quality of life she can experience. They said they want her life to revolve around more than just hospital visits.
“With my daughter’s story, we want her to bring a positive impact on everybody’s life,” Mars said. “She a very excited baby — happy to see anybody. If you look into her stroller, you’ll definitely get a smile. She’s 100 percent a daddy’s girl.”
