MILWAUKEE — On the other side of photographer Steve White's camera lens, model Kia Brazil is much more than a pretty face.

Brazil is a mother, author and quadriplegic; a picture of strength and the face of a movement she'd like to start. Standing next to her is 10-year old Skilur Barnett. She's one of the many kids that Brazil is inspiring through her social media.

"It means a lot to me, seeing someone African-American having similar symptoms as my daughter," Prinekqwa Barnett, Skilur's mom, said. "To be here, getting her engaged with someone similar to her, is just priceless."

"My little brother says she has the same legs likes me," Skilur said.

Because like Skilur, Brazil walks with the help of prosthetics. 

For White, it's all about capturing the moment and seeing their smiling faces as they see their pictures. 

To truly understand Brazil's excitement is to understand what days like this mean.

On Feb. 11, 2019, life as Brazil knew it changed. She thought she was having menstrual cramps. It turns out, the mother of two had severe sepsis shock and the bacterial infection almost killed her. 

She flatlined twice and woke up 14 days later in the hospital after being placed in a medically-induced coma. 

"It just really does remind me how grateful and how blessed I am to still be able to create moments like this with my kids," Brazil said.

She is also using her social media platform to educate people about sepsis. 

So why did she decide to become a model at 30? 

"For little girls like her for individuals that don't really have the courage that I have to show off the body that we were either given or presented," she said. "To show people that there is still hope [when] we think all hope is lost."

For more on Brazil, visit https://kiamariebrazil.com​