Abbygaël Martin

"She is aware of everything happening around her. She is just like you and me. She understands everything. The only difference is that, because of her condition, she cannot express herself the way most people do. Still, she always finds a way to make herself understood." — Mélissa, Abbygaël's mother 

 

A voice that speaks differently 

Abbygaël has never needed words to make herself understood.
Her words are not spoken. She traces them in the air with her fingertips, with all the precision and grace of sign language.

Her days follow a well-established rhythm. At school, she listens, participates, and connects with others in her own way. When her hands are not enough, her tablet speaks for her.

At home, everything has been adapted to meet her needs, including a hospital bed, a patient lift, and ramps. Each one makes daily life a little easier.

Abbygaël may lack words, but she makes up for it with her determination. She always finds a way to be heard, whether through a look, a gesture, or a smile.

When the body sets limits

In 2025, a new challenge appears. Abby's hips, once highly functional, no longer seem able to stay in place. Every movement becomes more difficult and painful.

Not long ago, she could walk from the school bus to the front entrance with her walker. Now, she needs a wheelchair for most activities.

Major surgeries lie ahead. First, a pelvic reconstruction that will require weeks of lying down to recover. Then, she will undergo another difficult procedure to correct her scoliosis and insert a metal rod along her spine.

Mélissa and Jean-François adjust their lives around their daughter’s needs. Abby is never alone. Her older brother, Zachary-Alexandre, understands her signs before anyone else does. Her stepfather, Anthony, knows how to reassure her. Her stepmother, Rébecca, and her children, Catherine, Justine and Thomas, share in the routines, the milestones, and everyday moments.

Together, they form the village that helps Abby keep moving forward.

A journey that began long before surgery

Abby's story did not start with surgery. It began on the day she was born.

She could not breathe on her own. The medical team sprang into action. They stabilized her. Her body lacked muscle tone, and she could not hold up her head. Her eyes moved in an unusual way.

An appointment at four months old changed everything. Doctors began to suspect a neurological condition. Abby was first transferred to Rimouski, and then to the Centre Mère-Enfant Soleil in Quebec City.

The tests kept coming. So do the questions. Mélissa, a nurse herself, senses that something is wrong.
Then, finally, an answer: Joubert syndrome.

A rare genetic condition that affects brain development and influences balance, coordination, eye movements and breathing.

Since then, appointments have become part of everyday life: genetics, neurology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and rehabilitation. For Abbygaël, nothing comes easily. Even dental procedures require general anesthesia.

Yet none of this defines her. She is defined by her ability to bring people together. She teaches others to slow down and to listen differently. She shows them that communication is about much more than words.

"When we go on a trip or plan an outing, we do everything we can to make sure Abby experiences the same things as us. It's important to us that she can enjoy a normal teenage life." — Mélissa, Abbygaël's mother

Illness has no place in a child’s life. 

– Mélissa, Jean-François and Zachary-Alexandre (17)