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Michala Riggle might be only 10 years old but she's got the heart and spirit of a wise old soul. After her brother's autism improved when he received an injection of an amnio acid and an antioxidant called Glutathione, as well at four other patients, doctors wanted to run a larger study. The problem? The study would cost at least $200,000 that the Kasair Children's Hospital in Louisville, Ky, just didn't have.

That's when Michala stepped up to the plate. She decided to raise money on her own by beading and selling bracelets. She soon enlisted family and friends to help with the beading and selling and eventually raised $22,000. including various donations. At a ceremony to celebrate her fundraising she unwrapped a check to find that donors had pushed that amount up to $101,000. Then to make Michala's dream a reality, a private foundation contributed $100,000 to push the total over what was originally needed.

"Physicians at Kosair plan to begin the Glutathione studies on 50 patients in January," said Leslie Buddeke, of Kosair Children's Hospital Foundation.

Michala tearfully thanked the crowd at the ceremony and said, "I really couldn't have done this without all the people who have helped me," she said. "I would have been beading in my sleep to raise this much."

Michala's story shows that no matter who you are, no matter how big your dream is, a belief in yourself and your cause is enough to make a difference in the world!

[Source: ABCNews]