Imagine being a star athlete and beauty queen, then waking up one morning with half of your face paralyzed, unable to open your eyelid or breathe. Guillain-Barre syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, affects 1 in 100,000 people. It is characterized by the rapid onset of numbness, weakness, and often paralysis of the legs, arms, breathing muscles, and face. With GBS, your body's immune system actually attacks your nerves. In The Stairway to Heaven is Not ADA Compliant, Samantha Holvey, former Miss North Carolina USA, tells her story of battling GBS and how a mission trip to rural Cuba, a week after she was released from the hospital, revived her spirit and gave her the strength to mentor girls through tough times while testing her own limits and abilities hour to hour.