COVER STORY ARTICLE

MIRACLE PELAYO IS AN ACTOR, MODEL, FASHION CONTENT CREATOR, AND DISABILITY ADVOCATE WITH CEREBRAL PALSY BORN AND RAISED IN LOS ANGELES, CA. SHE WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 10, 1992. (32 YEARS OLD). MIRACLE TRULY LIVES UP TO HER NAME AS SHE IS A PREEMIE SURVIVOR AT 23 WEEKS.

SHE HAS DREAMED OF BEING AN ACTOR SINCE AGE 4. 

HER INTRODUCTION TO THEATER BEGAN IN ELEMENTARY  SCHOOL. AT THE AGE OF 11, MIRACLE BECAME CLOSE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS WITH MICHAELA JILL MURPHY, THE VOICE OF TOPH IN AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER. MURPHY SAW MIRACLE’S LOVE FOR PERFORMING AND THEN INTRODUCED HER TO CC KIDS ON STAGE FOR A BETTER WORLD.   HER LOVE FOR PERFORMING ON A BIG STAGE IS ALL THANKS TO GROUNDED FOR LIFE’S LYNDSEY BARTILSON WHEN MIRACLE AUDITIONED FOR CC KIDS ON STAGE FOR A BETTER WORLD AND THEN SOON BECAME THE ONLY DISABLED MEMBER IN THE GROUP TO DO OVER 30 SHOWS AFTER TAKING HER FINAL BOW IN 2009.

AT 15 YEARS OLD, MIRACLE’S FIRST PROFESSIONAL AUDITION WAS FOR A DISNEY XD COMMERCIAL WHERE SHE THEN MET HER MENTOR BETHANY BOOKIN WHO HAS BEEN HER MENTOR FOR 17 YEARS. HER MENTOR BETHANY ALSO HAS CEREBRAL PALSY AND HAS BEEN HER CONSTANT GUIDE SINCE HER EARLY TEENS AND HAS HELPED HER THROUGHOUT HER DAILY LIFE. 

MIRACLE ROSE TO FAME AS "STACY” IN NICKEOLDEON’S BELLA AND THE BULLDOGS (SEASON 2) BECOMING THE FIRST ACTOR IN A WHEELCHAIR TO BE FEATURED ON THE WELL-KNOWN TELEVISION NETWORK IN  NICKELODEON HISTORY. SHE WAS ALSO FEATURED AS MIRANDA IN ALAN TUDYK’S WEB SERIES CON MAN. SHE HAS ALSO BEEN FEATURED IN MULTIPLE COMMERCIALS FOR TOMMY HILFIGER ADAPTIVE, AND YAMAHA NAVIGO, AND RECENTLY DID A COMMERCIAL PROMO FOR DISNEY PLUS’S OUT OF MY MIND WITH PHOEBE RAE TAYLOR. MIRACLE IS THE VOICE OF LILY, THE FIRST AMERICAN GIRL DOLL WITH CEREBRAL PALSY IN THE YOUTUBE SERIES, AMERICAN GIRL DOLL THE TRAVEL TWINS IN AG DOLL HISTORY.

MIRACLE BEGAN MODELING THROUGH TO AN ORGANIZATION CALLED BEST BUDDIES AFTER DOING A PHOTO SHOOT WITH KEVIN MCHALE (GLEE), AUSTIN MAHONE, (RADIO DISNEY RECORDING ARTIST) AND NOLAN GOULD (MODERN FAMILY) AND CELEBRITY PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN BOWDEN SMITH WHO HAS ALSO DONE PHOTOSHOOTS FOR CINDY CRAWFORD AND KIM KARDASHIAN. SHE THEN BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS WITH OLIVIA CULPO AND WAS FEATURED IN OLIVA’S MORE THAN A MASK CAMPAIGN.

ALONGSIDE ACTING, MIRACLE IS ALSO A FASHION CONTENT CREATOR AND STARTED THE “ MAKING CP BEAUTIFUL” MOVEMENT TO HELP YOUNG GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN IN WHEELCHAIRS FEEL CONFIDENT IN THEIR FASHIONISTA OUTFITS WHETHER THEY ARE SITTING UP IN THEIR WHEELCHAIRS OR WALKING AROUND IN THEIR WALKERS. WITH A REEL THAT WENT VIRAL OF HER IN A WALKER WITH THE SONG “ PRETTY GIRLS WALK LIKE THIS” WHICH HIT 30K VIEWS, SHE WANTED TO SHOW YOUNG ADULTS THAT HAVING A DISABILITY MEANS THAT YOU CAN SHINE YOUR OWN LIGHT IN YOUR OWN WAY. MIRACLE THEN STARTED EXPANDING HER BRAND BY DOING FASHION CONTENT PHOTOSHOOTS BY COLLABORATING WITH PHOTOGRAPHERS SUCH AS LEAH HUEBENER, MADDY ULLMAN, AND ABIGAIL GORDEN TO SHOWCASE CEREBRAL PALSY IN A FASHIONISTA WAY. MIRACLE HOPES TO COLLABORATE WITH MORE PHOTOGRAPHERS IN THE FUTURE TO SHOW DISABILITY AWARENESS ONE OUTFIT AT A TIME.

ONE OF MIRACLE’S BIGGEST DREAMS IS TO BE FEATURED IN A TARGET COMMERCIAL AND HAVE HER FACE ON A BILLBOARD ALL OVER LOS ANGELES SPREADING AWARENESS ABOUT DISABILITY REPRESENTATION IN THE MEDIA.

WHEN MIRACLE IS NOT ACTING, SHE ENJOYS GOING TO THE THEATER TO SEE A LIVE SHOW, GOING TO THE BEACH, AND HANGING OUT WITH HER DOG, BAMBI!

MIRACLE’S MESSAGE ABOUT HAVING CEREBRAL PALSY IS THAT HAVING A DISABILITY IS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED AND A TRUE GIFT BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT SHE CAN BE A VOICE FOR OTHERS.

PHOTOGRAPHER | ABIGAIL GORDEN