She Was Told to Terminate Her Pregnancy. Now She's Raising 2 Sons Who Are Inspiring Millions (Exclusive)

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16 hours ago

Madison Sisson was born with leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD syndrome)
Despite the diagnosis, Madison's childhood felt surprisingly "normal." At 19, she met her future husband, Kane, and they lived in Seattle, where they dreamed of building a life and starting a family
However, genetic testing revealed a 50% chance their children could inherit LAD. Still, the couple moved forward with hope and at 21, Madison became pregnant with their first childFrom the moment Madison Sisson was born, life presented challenges.
She arrived with only four fingers on her left hand and, unbeknownst to doctors, a rare immune disorder that wouldn't be diagnosed until she was 9 months old. The condition — leukocyte adhesion deficiency (LAD syndrome) — is so rare that most people have never heard of it. It's present from birth and affects the body's ability to fight infections.
Despite the diagnosis, Madison never saw herself as different. At 19, she met her future husband, Kane, and they lived in Seattle, where they dreamed of building a life and starting a family. But those dreams came with difficult questions. Genetic testing revealed a 50% chance their children could inherit LAD.
Still, the couple moved forward with hope. At 21, Madison became pregnant with their first child, a boy. But what should have been a joyful milestone quickly turned to fear: during their first ultrasound, doctors couldn't find the baby's left arm.
"I remember we went home and we cried," Madison, now 34, tells PEOPLE exclusively. "It was a terrifying pregnancy. I didn't share it with anyone — not out of shame, but for my own emotional protection. I needed to hold on to some normalcy."
Genetic testing during the pregnancy showed no signs of LAD. Even so, doctors raised concerns about the baby's quality of life due to his missing limb. Until 24 weeks, some even discussed termination. But Madison held firm in her belief that her son was healthy and whole.
When Ryker was born, he was missing his left arm and was later diagnosed with hearing loss. But the biggest moment came after birth: postnatal genetic testing confirmed he had inherited LAD.
'It was really shocking to us,' Madison says. 'We thought we had beaten the odds.'
Even knowing the challenges ahead, Madison and Kane still felt their family wasn't complete. In early 2020, they began preparing for in vitro fertilization (IVF) to reduce the risk of passing on LAD. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and everything was put on hold.
Once clinics reopened, they resumed the IVF process — until life took another unexpected turn: Madison became pregnant naturally.
'Honestly, we were terrified,' she says. 'After everything with Ryker, we didn't know what to expect.'
Their second son, Rhett, was born with differences in both arms and was completely deaf. Two months after his birth, the weight of it all hit Madison during a quiet drive home with Rhett in the backseat.
'I called Kane, sobbing on the freeway,' she remembers. 'And he said, 'Whatever is meant to be has already been written. It is what it is. We just keep moving forward.' '
That mindset has carried them ever since. Today, Madison and Kane, also 34, focus on empowering their boys — celebrating what they can do rather than dwelling on what they can't. Over the years, they've watched Ryker, now 11, learn to use his feet for everything from writing and eating to playing video games.
His growing confidence inspired the family to begin sharing their journey on social media, where they've built a following of nearly 46,000 people.
'He loves showing people what he can do,' Madison says. 'He's really the one who started all this. Just this morning, as I dropped him off at school, he said, 'Mom, maybe tonight we can take a video of me playing video games so I can show everyone how I do it.' '
One recent video of Ryker figuring out how to open a car door on his own drew more than 10 million views and nearly 9,000 comments. Another, showing Ryker and Rhett, 3, helping Madison make burgers with their feet, garnered 8.6 million views and 10,000 comments.
'Some people think using your feet is gross or dirty,' Madison says. 'But what they don't realize is that Ryker washes his feet constantly. The first thing he does when we get home is wash them. Before dinner, he washes his feet. Just like someone else would wash their hands — he washes his feet. Honestly, they're probably cleaner than most people's hands.'
'So many of the comments we get are negative — people saying Ryker is going to struggle his whole life," she adds. "But that's exactly why we share the adaptive tools and show how he does things. We want to change the way people view disability. It's not about living a horrible life or struggling forever."
As much as Ryker now enjoys sharing his abilities with the world, Madison remembers the quiet, early moments when he first began to understand his differences.
She shares that Ryker didn't really start putting two and two together about his arm until he was around 4 years old.
"He would look at himself in the mirror and say, 'Ryker has one arm and Mommy has two,' " Madison recalls. "Honestly, it was never something we had to explain or make a big deal about — it just was."
It wasn't until he was about 7 or 8 that mother and son had their first real conversation about it. One night, he got emotional and started crying, asking Madison, 'Why am I like this?'
"That was a really hard moment as a parent," she adds. "I sat with him and told him, 'God makes everybody different — sometimes on the outside, sometimes on the inside. No two people are exactly the same. You can see your difference, like how you have one arm and Mommy has two, or how I have four fingers and Daddy has all of his. But everyone has something that makes them unique.' '
That emotional night marked a turning point — not in how Madison saw her son, but in how she began guiding him through moments of doubt while nurturing his growing independence.
As Ryker grows, that independence continues to blossom, though some tasks still require creative solutions. He attends a public school and is in general education classes. He has a paraprofessional available if needed, but Madison says he rarely uses the support.
The family is currently testing dressing sticks to help with clothing, and Ryker is adapting quickly. At home, they've installed wall hooks that allow him to pull his pants up and down on his own.
'For the most part, he's got it down,' she says. 'He writes with his feet, so he has a special chair at his desk and another one at lunch for positioning. The only time he might ask for help is when his foot gets tired.'
One of their biggest adaptive wins is a custom shower setup — a large sponge filled with soap that attaches to the wall. Ryker can press against it to wash his back, shoulders and even his hair. But being outside the home comes with different challenges.
'Right now, we're not doing sleepovers or letting him go to friends' houses unless we're really close with the family,' Madison says. 'He's good about asking for help, but he's at a vulnerable age. We want to protect his dignity and independence as much as we can.'
'At home, he uses a bidet and has a solid routine," she adds. "At school, he goes to the nurse's office. They've created a comfortable system for him, and he's really confident with it.'
Rhett's routine is different. He attends multiple therapy sessions each week — sometimes three in a single day — and recently started preschool for deaf and hard-of-hearing children. Since he's young, he still doesn't understand much yet.
"I think with Rhett, I don't think he'll have as hard of a time because his brother is like him and he thinks his brother is the coolest person in the entire world," Madison adds. "Anything that his brother does, he wants to do, he wants to dress the same, he wants to act the same, he wants to do the same things."
Through it all, Madison and Kane have leaned on a strong support system that has helped them stay grounded.
'We're really lucky,' she adds. 'Our family is amazing — they love our boys like their own. They've been a huge part of our journey, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have that kind of support.'
'I also had a lot of surgeries and doctor visits growing up, and I always felt a little different,' she continues. 'So I can relate to my kids. But more than anything, it's helped me understand that having a physical disability doesn't mean something is wrong. My boys are thriving. They're just like any other kids — they might do things differently or need a little more help, but they're just as capable.'
One of Madison's biggest goals is not only helping her sons feel proud of who they are, but helping others see their abilities, not just their differences.
When children stare, seem scared or appear unsure, Madison redirects their focus with positivity and curiosity.
'Ryker has always handled it really well," Madison says. "He'll just shrug it off like it's no big deal. He doesn't like to make it a thing. He'll say, 'Yeah, they're looking at me,' and move on. But me? I get a little mama bear when it's adults. I'll say something like, 'He's really cute, huh?' just to break the tension.'
'I'll say, 'Want to know something really cool? He does everything with his feet,' " she adds. " 'He eats, writes, colors, plays video games — all with his feet. He doesn't even need hands.' And suddenly, they're fascinated. They'll be like, 'What?! That's so cool!' And next thing you know, they're trying it themselves. It's hilarious.'
As for the future, Madison says the family plans to continue sharing their journey online. And while negativity still finds its way in, the overwhelming love and support has made a lasting impact.
'There have been thousands of amazing comments,' she says. 'I was reading Ryker's page the other night and just started bawling because I was like, 'Oh my God — the amount of good humans there are.' Life can feel really heavy sometimes, and the world can feel really heavy. But then you read comments from people who think your kid is just incredible.'
She adds. 'Some of Ryker's favorite comments are things like, 'You're the coolest kid on the Internet,' or, 'You're the coolest kid on this app.' He loves those — they've been really special. People say his superpower is using his feet, which is so cute. And there are so many others who say things like, 'God bless your family,' or, 'We love your videos.' It's overwhelming in the best way. Just so many people saying how much they love our kids — it means the world to us.'
'The whole point is to raise our kids to be as independent as possible — to give them the confidence and tools they need to one day leave the nest, build a family, and live a full life on their own,' she adds. 'I don't want them to rely on me or anyone else. I want them to feel capable, just like their peers."
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