The Maryssa's Mission Foundation was created by Mitchell & Malinda Rivas shortly after Maryssa was called to Heaven. We saw firsthand the challenges that a family with a
medically fragile child had to go through. We often found ourselves
living in a hospital room that was four hours from home. We constantly stayed bedside with our daughter Maryssa while doctor's tried to understand and cure her uncommon diagnosis. Our stays at the hospital were met with
financial struggles, periods of
hopelessness, and always having a looming
feeling of inadequacy as a parent, because we were being split apart from our other three growing children that longed for their parents and sister.
Maryssa's life impacted individuals across the world, through her contagious smile, and her tough spirit that
weathered many storms. We were blessed to have a
large support system that not everyone in our unit had.
On November 13, 2015, our sweet angel passed away due to complications from her surgery. Over 20 people traveled to Cincinnati to
comfort us,
love us,
pray for us, and
support us.
This outpouring of support confirmed that Maryssa's Mission was called to "Be the Blessing We Prayed to Receive®." Although Maryssa's journey spanned a short 28 months here on Earth, we know that her Mission is far from complete.
