What would you think if you saw a car driving down the road with a #TeamIsis decal on it? Most people would think the driver was a supporter of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists. However, that’s not the case for Ciara Martinez of Picture Rocks, Ariz.—the sticker is in support of her 5-year-old daughter Isis who is battling Rett syndrome.
Named after the Egyptian goddess of nature, magic and the downtrodden, the little girl is not yet aware that many people associate her name with a brutal terrorist organization because of her rare disorder, Rett syndrome. The disease, which is often misdiagnosed as autism, cerebral palsy or nonspecific developmental delay, affects 1 out of every 10,000 female births, according to RettSyndrome.org. “Rett syndrome causes problems in brain function that are responsible for cognitive, sensory, emotional, motor and autonomic function. These can include learning, speech, sensory sensations, mood, movement, breathing, cardiac function and even chewing, swallowing, and digestion,” said the organization.
Isis’ mother created the Pretty Halos Foundation to raise awareness about Rett syndrome. In a fund-raising effort, they sold #TeamIsis window stickers at an annual car show in Tucson, reported Carbonated.TV. However, that may not have been the smartest idea.
“There were people trying to run me off the road, people flipping me off, cursing at me,” said Martinez about the things that happened to her while driving with the decal on her car. A friend that displayed the sticker even got investigated by the FBI.
Furthermore, some people demanded Martinez change her daughter’s name, telling her “it’s a disgrace to America.”
“With the whole ISIS situation, it is even worse because now I have to fight for her name and her disability, and it's really hard for me as a mom to have to see her go through that," said Martinez, in an interview with KGUN9-TV.
Martinez removed the decal from her car, but refuses to change Isis’ name.
Last September, a 38-year-old Miami woman—also named Isis Martinez—posted a video to YouTube asking the media to stop using her name to refer to the group of “shameless excuses for human beings,” according to the Daily Mail. She even created a petition urging the media to use ISIL when referring to the terrorists instead of ISIS. The petition currently has 52,802 signatures.
