BOSTON – A Boston mother is hoping a miracle comes through for her daughter who is fighting a rare disease.

“She’s amazing. She’s so smart. She finally found her voice. She won’t stop,” said Jaquela Gomez, of her daughter.

And that’s all this Boston mom dreams of, that her beautiful baby Kaliyah will never stop – smiling, growing, and becoming who she is. But a healthy, happy life depends on a miracle.

“Kids with her condition get worse as the time goes. I’m just hoping to find that donor and get the process going,” the mother explained.

This sweet girl has spent her seven months of life suffering from biliary atresia; a rare liver disease which required surgery as a newborn.

“They give three months to see if the procedure was a success; For us it wasn’t,” Gomez said softly.

Spreading awareness with lemonade stand  

Now, as the family prays for a healthy piece of liver from a donor with an O or B blood type, Kaliyah’s siblings and cousins are raising money for her care. Spreading awareness through each sip of lemonade, until their sweet sister comes home from the hospital with a new liver.

“It’s going to get her to live longer. That’s all I want for my baby. So, she can pass the age of four. I want to see her get married, have kids, finish college. This would be helping her a whole lot,” the mother said.

Kaliyah’s sisters and cousins will sell lemonade to support her treatment both Saturday and Sunday in Revere. Their stand will be set up from 12-3 p.m. both days, at the corner of Malden and Stevens Streets.

You can learn more about Kaliyah’s journey here.

BETHESDA, Md. (FOX 5 DC) – A powerful thunderstorm swept through Chevy Chase, Maryland, Wednesday evening, causing significant damage and shutting down Connecticut Avenue in both directions.

On the 2600 block of Blaine Drive, heavy winds toppled a tree onto a brick house, causing thousands of dollars in damage and bringing down power lines. 

The homeowner, who has lived in the family home with her sister for 62 years, described the frightening moment they rushed outside after hearing a loud boom.

Wind gusts also felled a tree on Underwood Street, pulling down power lines, snapping a pole like a toothpick, and leaving a light dangling above the sidewalk in the Village of Chevy Chase. 

The storm caused Connecticut Avenue to close in both directions, halting Metro buses and prompting police to direct traffic away from the area.

PEPCO and a tree removal company are currently working to clear the debris and restore power. Residents described the storm as fierce but brief.

“It was a sudden amount of large rain and wind, not coming quite horizontally, pretty much a 45-degree angle, and it didn’t last very long. It was only about 10 to 15 minutes,” said Timothy Holtz, a Chevy Chase resident.

Despite the brief duration, the storm caused extensive damage in parts of Chevy Chase. 

On the 3700 block of Thornapple Street, a tree broke in half and landed on a front lawn, damaging the roof of a home. The homeowner was too upset to speak on camera.

The two sisters on Blaine Drive have been told by an architect that their home is now unsafe to live in. Several residents expressed relief and gratitude that no one was injured during the storm.

Some homes remain without power, but PEPCO has assured homeowners that electricity will be restored after midnight.

Both directions of Connecticut Avenue at Underwood Street have since reopened.