BEDFORD, Ohio — When Tasha Wilburn's youngest daughter Rayne was born, something was immediately wrong. Rayne had a brachial plexus injury — a series of damaged nerves that left her right arm with less than 10% mobility. She had sensation in only two fingers.
Doctors told Tasha most children recover in a few months with physical therapy. Rayne didn't.
"I just knew it was going to be a lot of challenges," Tasha said. "How do you learn how to crawl? How do you eat? How do you get dressed? So that's why I immediately started to reach out — trying to find specialists, see, "What can we do to improve this outcome?'"
Tasha got to work immediately — making calls, scheduling appointments, researching specialists. One of those calls went to the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities, a resource she already knew from navigating challenges with her two older children, Faith and Ty.
For Rayne, they went further than ever before.
"They were able to find me those connections and resources and grants and specialists and therapists," Tasha said. "They even helped me find the surgeons. She had to get two surgeries — tendon transfers, nerve transfers — and it helped me connect to the best surgeons that specialize in that for infants."
Tasha refused to let Rayne's injury limit her. She signed her up for occupational and physical therapy two to three times a week, along with gymnastics and playgroups — treating her exactly like her older siblings.
But letting Rayne navigate the world on her own terms wasn't always easy to watch.
"It was harder for me to, like, not help her so much and just let her do what the other kids were doing," Tasha said. "Especially when she fell — and she fell a lot early on."
Rayne's nerve damage meant her brain couldn't always send the right signals, including the reflex to protect herself when she fell.
"She always had this big knot bruise right in the middle of her head for, like, the first year of her life because she just kept falling, but I just kept taking her," Tasha said.
And Rayne kept climbing. Today, she is at 70% mobility — a remarkable outcome that Tasha says is even rare for her specific condition, called Erb's palsy.
As Rayne continued to grow and thrive, Tasha began thinking about other families navigating similar diagnoses — families who might not know where to turn, or who needed to see what was possible.
That's when she wrote "Rayne Climbs Up."
"I wanted to create something where other children like Rayne can see themselves as strong and just capable," Tasha said. "And also to help explain it to children who don't have those challenges — just to kind of feel empowered as well."
The book draws on a concept Tasha invented right in her own living room. When Rayne's older siblings started referring to her injured arm as her "broken arm," Tasha knew she needed a different name.
"I'm like, 'That's not a good name,' so we ended up coming up with 'rainbow arm,'" she recalled. "So whenever I'm trying to encourage her, motivate her to use that arm, I say, 'Use your rainbow arm.' And she (would) say, 'No' — like, sometimes she gets frustrated. I'm like, 'Yes, it has rainbow power. It has rainbow power.'"
Inside the book, an affirmation page Tasha calls one of her favorites captures that spirit:
"You have your own rainbow power too. Let's say these words and make it shine. My rainbow power — I am strong, I am brave, I am patient with myself, I can try again, I can rest when I need to, I can do things my own way. My body is learning, my heart is confident, my journey is special. I am proud of myself."
When asked how proud she is of Rayne, Tasha could barely find the words.
"Oh, I don't think so," she laughed. "Um, yeah, I'm so proud."
But she's quick to add: This is just the beginning.
"You know, as a mom, you always think you can do more, so I feel like this is just the beginning — she can do more and I'm going to push her to do more."
Her message to other parents who find themselves facing a diagnosis they never expected?
"To not give up, to keep fighting, keep advocating for these babies," she said. "I mean, they can't advocate for themselves right now, so just to keep going, keep trying, and keep climbing."
"Rayne Climbs Up" is available now. Families seeking resources for children with disabilities can reach out to the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.