For centuries, the name Isis only had one association — the Egyptian goddess of nature, magic, and the downtrodden. The ideal wife and mother. Not the Islamic terrorist group.
Image Credit: Twitter
As Carbonated.tv reports, the strength of this figure was a fitting namesake for Isis Martinez, a little girl who fights a daily battle against Rett Syndrome.
Similar to autism or cerebral palsy, Rett Syndrome is a neurological disorder that predominantly affects girls, causing sensory issues, loss of speech, gastrointestinal problems, mobility issues, seizures, and lack of social reciprocity. In a video, her mother describes it as having the symptoms of autism, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and anxiety disorder — all in one small girl.
When Ciara Martinez named her daughter Isis, she wanted to capture some of the strong and regal attributes for a daughter who was always going to be marked as different.
As she has grown up and faced numerous challenges, Ciara says that her daughter has proven to be a worthy bearer of the name of an ancient goddess.
“It suits her perfectly with her condition now because she’s beaten so many odds,” Ciara told KGUN 9 News.
That makes what has happened to this family regarding their daughter’s name all the more heartbreaking.
Image Credit: YouTube
Ciara began a group and website named “Pretty Halos” to help raise awareness of Rett Syndrome and bring hope to other families going through their own struggles with the disorder.
But as her daughter’s story began to spread, she became the target of those whose associated the name Isis with the terrorist group.
Ciara says that she has been confronted by people demanding that she change her daughter’s name, telling her that it’s a “disgrace to America.”
Image Credit: Facebook
What was most disturbing for the family was what happened when they sold #TeamIsis window stickers at a local car show.
Though such hashtags are often used to rally support for various causes, in this case it drew the wrath of strangers and even the federal government.
“There were people trying to run me off the road, people flipping me off, cursing at me,” Ciara said, adding that a friend with the decal even found himself under investigation from the FBI.
Ciara says she has removed the decal from her car, but she refuses to back down on her daughter’s name.
Just as she will continue to fight against Rett Syndrome, she’s also fighting for all the other girls named Isis who don’t deserve to have a beautiful, strong name tainted by a terrorist group.
Image Credit: Screen Shot, KGUN News
Her wish for her daughter is modest, but heartbreaking: for her to be able to speak a full sentence.
“I would love an ‘I Love You’,” she told KGUN. “I would probably cry for weeks.”
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