Gabriella, ‘Gabi,’ Leeanne Bilbrey, 8, swings in her backyard after school in Bowling Green, Ky., Nov. 12, 2025. Gabi was adopted two days after her birth in 2016. Her biological parents who had avoided medical care during pregnancy due to fear of deportation were unaware that her legs had not developed in utero. Despite her disability, Gabi lives life like any ordinary child, refusing to let her condition define her or stop her from doing what she loves.
Gabi joins a line with her first level rock climbing group as they play telephone during a Halloween party at Redpoint Climbing Center in Bowling Green, Ky., on Nov. 6, 2025.
Gabi Bilbrey rock climbs at Redpoint Climbing Center during her first level climbing session on Nov. 13, 2025. Gabi's physical therapist informed the family about the center's climbing program for children. "At first she said she didn't know because she was afraid of heights," Gabi’s adoptive mother Betsy Bilbrey said. "But she went to the very top the very first time. She did it, and then she liked it." Now in her second year with the program, Gabi attends climbing sessions every Wednesday.
Gabi's adoptive father Travis Bilbrey pretends to give her a kiss on the cheek with a new stuffed pig she crafted in their Bowling Green home on Dec. 1, 2025.
Gabi climbs down a homemade ladder and sink extender after finishing brushing her teeth in her family home on Dec. 1, 2025. Travis built the ladder so Gabi could brush her teeth and wash her hands independently. "It wasn't too long,” Travis said about the time it takes him to complete DIY accessibility projects for Gabi. “It was more playing than actual doing.”
Gabi holds climbing coach KC Ciresi’s legs as Ciresi prepares to assign the first-level team into different climbing routes at Redpoint Climbing Center on Dec. 3, 2025.
Gabi stops and stares at her American Girl doll in her room on Nov. 12, 2025. "Sometimes I play with my American Girl Doll,” Gabi said when asked if she plays with any of her toys. “She looks like me.”
Gabi holds coach KC Ciresi’s shoe while the team does leg stretches before rock climbing at Redpoint Climbing Center on December 3, 2025. When a teammate laughed and asked why Gabi was holding her shoe, KC responded, “We all have our way of doing things, and this is Gabi's way.”
Gabi climbs to the top of the boulder wall during her first level climbing class on Dec. 3, 2025. The boulder wall is the hardest wall for her to climb due to her balance.
Gabi's mother Betsy Bilbrey reads a bedtime story to her daughter in their home on Dec. 9, 2025. Betsy maintains this nightly routine to soothe Gabi before sleep, a quiet moment of connection at the end of each day.
