Ruby Hoffman was 3 years old and, at the entrance to her home, which had been turned into a tricycle track, she waited her turn in her motorized wheelchair, an electric toy car adapted for her. Abbie, her best friend, made no distinctions: Ruby was simply Ruby, and she deserved to be in every race and share every laugh. So Abbie helped her drive, and together they went around the driveway.
Her mother, Mindy, recorded the moment and shared it on Facebook in 2018.
Ruby lived with H-ABC leukodystrophy, a disease so rare that in 2016 only eight cases were known worldwide. Her brain could not tell her body what to do, and little by little she lost the ability to walk, talk, smile, and laugh. But that afternoon, with Abbie’s hands over hers, Ruby moved forward, smiled, and laughed.
Ruby had many moments like that before she passed away almost two years ago. Her time on this earth was brief, but it was filled with love.
A Rare Ruby, forever.