More than anything, Mikayla Barber loves to sing her heart out—daily. For Mikayla, the experience of making her EIAS music video was life-changing.

Born with fragile X syndrome, 23-year-old faces a range of social and learning challenges. Suffering muscle weakness and low energy challenges, Mikayla could endure high school only 4 hours a day, and her present job only 5 hours. She can’t function as quickly as most people, and at work, because her disability doesn’t show, Mikayla is often the target of rudeness from angry customers who demand fast-thinking assistance. She now wears a badge declaring, “Please be patient. I have special needs.”

But when she’s singing, there are no special needs: Mikayla is powerful and happy. So the opportunity to make a music video was a dream-come-true for her. Yet the filming and recording had to be done all in one day—a non-stop, 18-hour push. Could she do it?

 “Making that video changed her life,” says Miki’s mother, Tracey. “It was a huge breakthrough.”

When the day came, Mikayla pushed herself harder than she ever had in her life—a profound personal triumph. Her video is a family treasure. “We still watch it,” says Tracey. “And we all cry. To this day, Mikayla  knows she can do anything.”