ROCKFORD, Mich — Laura and Andy Gibson thought they had parenthood figured out by the time they were expecting their fourth child. Then Briella was born.
"What she has, there's no name for it. It's just a duplication in her fourth chromosome," Andy Gibson said. "She's unable to walk. She needs full support, 24/7, from us. She has a feeding tube. She's non verbal."
He added: "There's nobody exactly like Briella."
In the middle of all the medical unknowns, the isolation became overwhelming.
"Families stop getting invited. Friends don't understand why you're canceling all the time. They just don't get it. And so you slowly begin to be isolated," Andy explained.
That isolation became the catalyst for something bigger.
"It was really out of survival a little bit, I think, and knowing that other people were probably in the same boat as us, and no one was doing it. So it's like...let's do something," Laura Gibson said.
In 2019, the Gibsons founded Certain Hope Community, a nonprofit rooted in family and faith that holds events across Michigan for families raising children with disabilities.
"It's called Certain Hope because there's so many things that are unknown in our journey, but we know that we have this certain hope in Jesus," Laura said.
All events are free and designed to include every member of the family.
For families who often feel out of place in public, the events offer something rare — a space where nothing is unusual.
"You don't have to worry if you pull out a suction machine, or if your kid is using an eye gaze. There's not the stares when you're doing tube feedings like it's just all natural and normal," Laura told FOX 17 News. "It's just such an emotional thing to look around and see all these families just enjoying life with their kids... you're not just sitting on this isolated island where no one understands you — you've got a tribe around you."
For Andy and Laura, the work gives back as much as it gives out.
"This energizes us when we get to meet other families, see what's going on in their life, loving on them, serving them," Andy said. "That gives us so much joy to be able to do that, so that definitely helps on the days where it's hard — we know that we're going to be impacting some families."
Last year, Certain Hope Community reached more than 230 families, and the organization continues to grow.
The only requirement to attend events is having a child with disabilities.
To learn more about Certain Hope Community and their upcoming events, visit their website or Facebook page.
As the FOX 17 and Lake Michigan Credit Union Pay it Forward Person of the Month, the Gibsons receive a $250 prize.
Know someone who should be featured next month? Nominate them here.
Meet Kathy Kooienga, our January 2026 Pay it Forward Person of the Month.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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