Try Everything

Five years after a spinal cord injury, Makayla Noble is embracing a new adventure: moving into a home with her sister, Myriah 

Five years ago, they were just song lyrics. Now, Shakira’s Zootopia anthem, “Try Everything,” has become Makayla’s life motto. 

“Right after my accident, I would sing that song to everyone who came into the room — nurses, family, friends,” Makayla recalled. “I think going through such a crazy accident changes your perspective, and I really want to try everything and live my life to the fullest.”  

Makayla was 16 when a backyard cheerleading accident led to a spinal cord injury. What followed — spinal surgery and weeks in intensive care — ended with a new reality: C6 incomplete quadriplegia.  

Now 21, Makayla is embarking on another new adventure with her sister, Myriah, 26: moving into their own house, which they’ve dubbed “The Sister House,” and sharing the process on social media. 

“We’ve always wanted to live together ever since I moved out,” Myriah said. “This past spring, we started talking about it seriously, and Makayla decided that she was ready to move in with me and get our own place. That was so exciting because who wouldn’t want to live with their sister in their 20s?” 

That one decision kicked off a million other changes to consider. Once they moved in together, Myriah would become Makayla’s primary caregiver, a responsibility she previously shared with their mother. 

“My mom and I started being Mak’s caregivers right after her accident, as soon as she came home from rehab, and we’ve just been doing it together,” she said. “But since we’ve moved in together, I’ve become Makayla’s full-time caregiver. It’s been a big transition.”  

Finding The Sister House came with its own checklist. The sisters wanted a one-story ranch home without carpet and with doors wide enough for Makayla to roll through in her wheelchair. 

“It wasn’t like normal house hunting — do we like this area, do we like this house, what are we going to do with each space,” Makayla said. “There were a lot of extra steps and challenges that we went through.” 

“Every apartment or house our family has lived in since Mak’s accident, there are rooms that she can’t fit into, which isn’t fair to her,” Myriah agreed. “So, we would find houses on Zillow that we loved, and then we’re like, ‘OK, we really have to go visit it.’” 

One house looked great online, but Makayla’s wheelchair didn’t fit through the bathroom door — which also led to her closet. In time, the Makayla and Myriah found The Sister House, but even it needed a few adjustments.  

“There are a couple of steps up to the front door, but we bought a ramp to make it work,” Makayla said.  

There’s also storage beneath her bathroom sink, so Makayla has to turn sideways to use it. But finding a workaround was nothing new.   

“In our last few houses, we’ve had bigger issues,” she said. “You get very good at problem-solving and figuring things out when you use a wheelchair.”  

Sharing a home means shared responsibilities, and the sisters are getting used to being siblings and roommates. As they settle into The Sister House, Myriah says the experience has been a growing one for both.  

“Makayla is way more adventurous and good about getting out of her comfort zone than I am, so sometimes I just need her to say, ‘You’ve got it. You’ll feel better after,’” Myriah said.   

Makayla is also taking her own encouragement seriously.  

“Going from two caregivers to basically having just one, I’m having to take on more responsibilities, which I have been wanting to do,” she said. “I think I just kind of got comfortable having people do a lot for me.” 

As the sisters finish moving in and decorating their new home, they’re most focused on enjoying this new chapter.  

“It’s been really fun just to decorate this new environment and like make it ours,” Makayla said. “A lot of our girlfriends and friends are in serious relationships and are getting engaged or having babies and all those things, and we’re just not in that season yet. We really just want to be present and appreciate where we are right now. This is a really special time. It’s a dream.”