Anyone who knows Miya knows she loves a good adventure. Whether she’s scaling the nearest climbing structure or chasing her dogs through the yard, her spirit is bold, kind, and full of love. She’s quick to comfort others when they’re hurt or unwell—perhaps because she knows that journey intimately.

For years, Miya endured a confusing and painful medical odyssey. She missed weeks of school due to unexplained illness. Her body seemed to be turning against itself—every system affected, yet no diagnosis to explain why. Doctor after doctor searched for answers, but progress was slow, and the uncertainty took its toll.

Then came a breakthrough. A local rheumatologist ordered advanced genetic testing, and at last, Miya’s family received a long-awaited diagnosis: Behçet’s disease and HA20, a rare and newly identified genetic autoinflammatory disorder.

According to the National Institutes of Health, Behçet’s disease is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of blood vessels throughout the body. It can lead to mouth and genital ulcers, skin lesions, and severe complications affecting the eyes, joints, brain, and digestive system. HA20 (Haploinsufficiency of A20) is a rare inherited disorder that results in uncontrolled inflammation due to mutations in the TNFAIP3 gene. This mutation disrupts the body’s ability to regulate immune responses, leading to symptoms that mimic several autoimmune diseases and making diagnosis and treatment incredibly complex.