Maya and Abby are two sisters that have an unusual friendship. Maya was born with cerebral palsy, and Abby, is in fact, a dog. Since they were little, they have both always been there for each other.
The faithful pup spent years by Maya’s side while she painstakingly learned to walk.
It took a lot of effort, but the whole time, Abby was always there cheering her on. In the end, all the hard work from each of them paid off.
A recent YouTube video from The Dodo shows the moment that Maya finally took her first steps unassisted at the age of four, and of course, Abby was right there waiting to congratulate her.
The amount of pride that the dog showed for her human friend’s accomplishment was incredible.
You can see the happiness beaming on both of their adorable faces.
However, it was a long road to get to those first steps.
For the first few years of her life, Maya required lots of support.
“When Maya would start walking in her walker, Abby would get up and kind of follow behind her,” explained Maya’s mom.
The mom speculated that it might be a “safety thing” and that Abby was just looking out for the young girl. For example, if Maya went down a slide, Abby would be waiting at the bottom.
Wherever Maya would go, the pup would keep her company.
Even when Maya did her physical therapy sessions, the pup wouldn’t stray far. She would typically sit down next to Maya’s bench and watch.
Abby witnessed first hand all of the progress that her beloved sister was making with her therapy and it made her incredibly proud.
However, the most exciting moment came when, at the age of four, Maya finally took her first steps unassisted.
No walker was necessary.
“I’m walking! Yes!” exclaimed Maya in the video. “You guys, I even did the big step!”
She threw her hands up in the air in celebration and Abby’s tail started wagging excitedly.
Both of them knew it was an important moment. The pup jumped up in joy to show her support and the beautiful smile on Maya’s face said everything that needed to be said.
They also revealed something very interesting soon after in the video.
It turns out, Abby had been fighting a disability all of her life as well.
The poor dog was born without her front right paw. However, she never let it stop her from living her life to the fullest. In fact, it caused her and Maya to form an even closer bond.
From the minute the family first brought the pup home from the rescue center, the two of them were inseparable.
“Maya would play with her little dolls, and Abby would always just lay down right next to her and Maya would talk to Abby like she was her little friend,” recalled Maya’s mom.
Now, the family is sharing the heartwarming story with the world.
They have started a Facebook and an Instagram page to help raise awareness about cerebral palsy. Mighty Miss Maya, as the page refers to the young girl, is “showing the world how to #beemighty one step at a time.”
Tens of thousands of people are currently following their social media and have been inspired by the young girl and her dog sister, Abby. After seeing their emotional video, we definitely understand why.
Check out the video of the moment Maya takes her first steps below to learn more about her story.
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