Philomena Rose Euhnee Rivera was born on February 7, 2018, and we knew our family was complete. Those first years were filled with a lot of love, sweat, and tears as we navigated her medical complexities and rare chromosome disorder. The lows were low, but the highs were so much higher. When Mena started hitting milestones like smiling, crawling, eating, and walking, we were overcome with joy. Every new achievement was a huge celebration. She taught our family to move at its own pace; to prioritize each other; and to find joy in the little, silly things. She didn’t need much–just her big brothers Taj & Van, and her bulldog Bubbles (and maybe a Blippi video or 2) to be radiantly happy. Mena got to experience the joy of learning through her Home Team of teachers and therapists from the Papillion LaVista School District and continued her school journey with Pre-K at Rumsey Station. This year, she could not be more excited to be a Kindergartner at Anderson Grove, where she was absolutely loving seeing her brothers & their friends in the halls as she was making friends of her own. She learned to communicate even though she knew how to speak a few words. She always knew how to get her point across. Mena made an impact on everyone who opened their hearts to her. And what an impact it was.