Photo courtesy of Sheetal Cordry
Eva Cordry is a Shades Cahaba Elementary first grade student who has Williams syndrome.
Seven-year-old Eva Cordry is a “joy bomb wherever she goes,” her mother Sheetal Cordry said. The Shades Cahaba Elementary first grader seems to always be smiling.
Eva also has Williams syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes developmental and learning delays as well as cardiac issues and other physical problems. For Eva, the disorder has caused “delays in all areas,” a heart murmur and pulmonary valve stenosis, Cordry said.
Cordry said the first signs appeared a little after Eva’s first birthday, as she was struggling to eat and put on weight. Her daughter was diagnosed in 2013 after seeing a variety of specialists and pushing for evaluations. Eva’s sunny disposition, Cordry said, made some doctors attribute her delays to being slightly behind her peers rather than to a medical disorder.
It was a therapist at the Bell Center who recommended genetic testing, and Cordry said the first time she read a list of symptoms of Williams syndrome, it was like a light bulb turning on.
“It was an answer to everything,” Cordry said.
Since then, Eva has been able to grow and develop with the help of a variety of therapies and support from her teachers. Cordry said the help of people at the Bell Center, Homewood Schools and her friends have been crucial to Eva flourishing. Eva’s pre-K class at Hall-Kent Elementary, Cordry said, was “something special.”
“They have brought so much out of her,” Cordry said.
When her daughter was originally diagnosed, Cordry said she and her husband Ryan were not “full of hope” about her daughter’s future, but that has changed over time.
Eva “just exudes joy” and says she is enjoying first grade and learning her letters. She’s also a larger than life figure for her younger brothers, 5-year-old Raj and 2-year-old Dev, Cordry said.
In the years since Eva’s diagnosis, Cordry has gotten more involved with the Williams Syndrome Foundation, where she now serves as co-chair of the foundation’s Gulf Coast region. Cordry said her family felt alone and unsure of what to do next after learning about Williams syndrome, so part of her role with the foundation has been connecting with affected families around the Southeast to offer support and a place to ask questions.
This October, Cordry has helped organize a Walk for Williams at Patriot Park. The foundation has held fundraising walks around the U.S., but this will be the first in Birmingham, she said.
The walk will be Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., with registration starting at 9 a.m., and will include a 1-mile walk through the park (four laps). There will also be music, face painting for kids, a bounce house and a raffle.
Cordry said the walk is a fundraiser for the foundation, but it’s more important to her to say thank you to many of the people who have been there for Eva and the whole Cordry family.
“It takes a village and our village is here in Homewood,” she said.
Registration for the Walk for Williams is $20 per individual and $50 for a family of four, with kids under age 3 admitted free. To donate or register, visit walk4williams.org.
