A story of rare disease, radical care, and the quiet strength that carries us
In 2023, Mattie was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, a rare and life-threatening liver disease. At just two months old, she was admitted to the Pediatric ICU at AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, where she would spend the next 185 days under the care of nearly 80 nurses.
Her condition was so critical that she wasn’t even eligible for the liver transplant she desperately needed.
Against overwhelming odds, and through the extraordinary efforts of her care team, Mattie survived. Her journey not only changed the way children with her condition receive care, but also brought attention to larger gaps in the medical system that affect families navigating rare diseases every day.
This experience reshaped the understanding of what it means to fight for someone with everything you have.
Against ALL odds,
It became the foundation for The Miracle Mattie Project, a one-hour multimedia presentation developed in early 2025 as a keynote for Prosper 2025, led by Michael and Allison Beacham.
Through video, live narration, and immersive storytelling, the presentation traces Mattie’s first year: the unanswered questions, the nurses who never gave up, and the family who stayed in the fight.
Her story is far from over. As Mattie’s journey continues, so does the vital work of raising awareness and improving care for children with rare diseases like organ diseases. This project stands as a testament to the strength of families and the importance of hope, advocacy, and community.
CENTRAL FLORIDA FAMILY URGES HEALTHCARE REFORM
"Nine-month-old Mattie Beacham was in a coma, her organs were shutting down and her little body was fighting a battle that seemed insurmountable. She needed a liver transplant but was too sick to even get on the waitlist. For the nurses in the AdventHealth for Children pediatric ICU, it became their mission to save her."
BORROWED BREATH
Imagine watching your baby die multiple times, waiting for a new liver. Imagine her getting so frail and sick that you had to snap off her necrotic fingers because you were afraid she’d choke on them. Imagine a hospital’s negligence causing all of this, plus a lifetime of hellish health battles ahead. Mattie Beacham’s fight for her next breath is a white-knuckle testament to human resilience and an absolute refusal to let death win.
Stricken by a catastrophic, undiagnosed liver disease that silently starved her tiny body of life, baby Mattie collapsed into a coma as her internal organs rapidly shut down. With her heart failing and a grim medical prognosis giving her a mere four hours to live, a fiercely devoted army of nurses and specialists staged a desperate around-the-clock rebellion against time itself. This miraculous toddler’s survival has ignited a powerful political movement. Her family is currently weaponizing their trauma to push for Mattie’s Law, a vital healthcare reform designed to enforce mandatory newborn screening and stop preventable medical tragedies in their tracks. Watch as Mattie’s parents bravely take the stage in a live documentary-style keynote presentation at Prosper - Amelia Island.
A Families Harrowing Fight for Survival
BABY TURNS TRAGEDY INTO NATIONAL CHANGE
A little baby clinically passed away 7 times in the critical care unit, and the hellish, unthinkable nightmare could have been avoided. Mattie’s story is an extraordinary, heart-wrenching chronicle of survival, medical warfare, and a couple’s relentless defiance of a fatal clock.
Born with a rare, silent liver disease that went disastrously undetected for months, Mattie’s organs began shutting down by the time she was nine months old, plunging her into a deep coma and total organ failure while her liver decayed by the hour. When doctors warned that her body was failing and she had a mere four hours to live, a fiercely dedicated "warrior squad" refused to surrender. They pushed the boundaries of modern medicine to stabilize her for a grueling 10-hour, lifesaving liver transplant. Though the harrowing 185-day siege left her with permanent, life-altering physical scars, this miraculous toddler's fight has transformed into a powerful legal crusade for healthcare reform. Her parents are now championing Mattie’s Law across the nation to ensure no other child is forced to endure the same preventable tragedy.
This video and story has been showcased at several Rare Disease Conferences and symposiums in Orlando and throughout Florida. If you would like to share Mattie’s story at your event, Please contact us and we would be happy to share a link to be shown.