Haylee letting nothing hold her back

Jan. 2—Several years ago, as kids will do, Haylee Vaughn was playing with some of her friends. The children's attention somehow turned to Haylee's physical condition and some of the kids weren't very nice.

Sometimes children can be cruel.

Vaughn, the 13-year-old daughter of Jesse Miles and Dustin Vaughn, has a condition called amniotic band syndrome, which has kept her from developing a left hand.

For some, that would be a big obstacle to overcome. For Haylee, not so much.

"I really kind of realized around kindergarten that I was a little different than other kids," Haylee said. "I was swimming with a cousin and some friends, and there was this girl that said I had a shark fin. That was probably the worst I ever felt.

"I didn't understand why people would say something like that. It hurt then, but it doesn't hurt anymore. I never let stares or comments bother me. I am just like, 'Oh, well.'"

Haylee was born and raised in Cumberland County. She is a seventh-grader at Martin Elementary School, where her mother is also a teacher.

"There was nothing we did during the pregnancy," Jesse said. "As a parent you wonder about what I must have done to cause it. However, we have a 3-year-old daughter, and she is fine.

"Haylee's condition was very hard to accept for us. There were a lot of tears in the beginning. I was worried about what other people were going to say because I know it was going to be hard for her. And, as a mom you think about things like her wedding day. She's not going to be able to put her ring on her finger on her left hand."

Amniotic band syndrome occurs when the lining of the amniotic sac

is damaged during pregnancy, creating fibrous, string-like strands of

tissue that entangle the fetus or parts of the fetus and or umbilical cord. The strands can entangle any part of the fetus. For Haylee, it happened to be her left hand.

"It was very hard to accept," Jesse said. "Now, we don't ever think about it. We will be doing something, and I will need her to hold something for me, so I will say, "Haylee, hold this?" and she will say, 'Mom,' and hold her hand up to me.

"We have never allowed it to be a problem or something to stop her from doing what she wants to do. We have always had the mindset that we can find a way. We don't want her to ever use her condition as a crutch, something she can fall back on as an excuse."

Miles said she noticed Haylee start to blossom when she started attending Martin Elementary School. She started growing academically, physically and socially.

"When we moved her to Martin and she started playing basketball, I saw a big change. I think that really had an impact on her," Miles said. "I started working there when she was in second grade and she would watch their practice every day while she waited for me. The coaches would include her, and that helped her build confidence and she thrived. She just did the things kids do when she was younger, and I really think that was because of basketball."

Haylee stayed active as she grew. She said she loves basketball, but she really wanted to try and play baseball.

"We have always talked about a lot of things," Miles said. "I know things are harder for her, but we've always talked about things and if she needed my help, we always figured out a way. Heck, we watched YouTube videos to find out how a person with one hand can tie shoes.

"Haylee has done such a great job of handling this. I couldn't do it, I don't have that type of personality. She amazes me. I probably would have been the person that feels sorry for themselves and keep saying 'Woe is me.'"

Humor is a big part of Haylee's coping mechanism. One time a kindergartener asked her about her hand and Haylee told the child her mother, the child's teacher, cut off her fingers because she didn't behave.

Miles said her daughter inspires her every day and, in rare instances when she does get down on herself, Miles said she just reminds Haylee of all the great things she has already accomplished.

"I think moms have to understand and be able to look at the big picture of things," Miles said. "They're not always going to be around in their child's life. She's eventually going to go off to college, get a job and have a family of her own. Moms have to be able to relinquish some of that control so the child can be independent in the future."

And Haylee is just fine with that.

"I don't want to have to depend on other people," she said. "It is OK when you absolutely have to, but I want to be able to live on my own and be able to do what everyone else is doing. I want to be independent, and I want to be able to do everything."

And she does. Haylee is an active member of the Martin basketball team, under coaches Brian Simmons, Tina Niles and Samantha Futrell.

"I don't worry about her getting hurt in basketball," Miles said. "I tell Haylee all the time to get up. I tell her to get up and play harder."

Though she has several more years to go before she has to worry about life after graduation, Haylee, who is at the top of her class academically, said she's currently leaning toward exploring the field of veterinarian sciences in college.

"I really want to prove everyone wrong," Haylee said. "I think when people say something to me about my hand, it has kind of put a barrier around my heart. I am just not going to let it get to me anymore. I just ignore it."