Imagine trying to make friends without the ability to talk. That's the situation for MichaelAnn Byrne, a senior at Cumberland Valley High School who has a rare brain disorder known as beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN.) "It's excessive iron on the brain and there's around 50 people worldwide who have it," MichaelAnn's mother Sherry Byrne said. So when Byrne was selected in late August by the Make a Wish Foundation, she wished for 100 new friends. "I'm really excited," said Melanie McCormick, one of the girls on court, "but honestly, it doesn't really matter if I get queen or not because I love all the girls on the court and we're all pretty good friends." When the court takes the field, MichaelAnn will be in a wheelchair. It was the moment we were all waiting for," McCormick said. "When she got home and we were talking about it, she got all excited, all smiley, and she does a little kick sometimes when she's excited." A lot of the girls in our grade were like, 'put MichaelAnn on homecoming court' and we were all for it." MichaelAnn normally cherishes her sleep and is in bed by 8 p.m., her mom Sherry Byrne said. "So, we're trying to help MichaelAnn in that endeavor and to get her wish this year." Byrne's condition involves excess iron on the brain, which causes developmental delays and progresses into symptoms similar to Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease. "You know friendship's a really big thing in anybody's life, and MichaelAnn did not have friends until last year," Byrne said. "It's amazing that she's made so many new friends that so many people voted for her," Byrne said.
– A girl who can only communicate with motions and facial expressions said that all she wanted was to have 100 new friends. Now she's been named Homecoming Queen at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg, Pa., at the very point in life where her condition may well worsen, PennLive reports. MichaelAnn Byrne, who has an unusual brain disorder called beta-propeller protein-associated neurodegeneration (BPAN), was invited out onto the field in her wheelchair at halftime of a football game on Friday night. "We were all standing on the field," says a girl who was also nominated. "It was the moment we were all waiting for. I was so happy that she got homecoming queen. One of the other girls on the court was crying, she was so happy for MichaelAnn." The story began when MichaelAnn's fellow seniors saw a video by country music star Brad Paisley. He explained that her wish with the Make a Wish Foundation was to have 100 new friends, and asked them to introduce themselves to MichaelAnn and say something about themselves. Then the students figured they would nominate her for Homecoming Queen. "It's 1 in the morning and MichaelAnn is still up giggling," her mom, Sherry Byrne, wrote on Facebook after Friday night's event. Byrne tells ABC 27 that MichaelAnn is among 50 people worldwide with BPAN, which adds extra iron to the brain and leads to characteristics found in Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. "It's not easy to get to know her, so for the kids to rally around her really says a lot about them," she says. "It's amazing."