After being born with cerebral palsy and living every day in pain, four-year-old Elisa Mangion will now have to travel across the world to get a life-changing surgery in the heart of the US.

Elisa was born prematurely at 27 weeks, weighing only 940 grams, and with little hope of survival. Her early coming meant that she had to spend three months at the NPICU but that isn’t even the most heartbreaking part.

Her traumatic birth left a lasting impact on the baby girl who suffered brain damage, causing cerebral palsy and consequently severe stiffness in her legs.

“The stiffness in her legs causes her to be in great pain,” Joanne, Elisa’s mother told Lovin Malta. “She cries, especially at night, and has to sleep with special equipment that keeps her legs stretched.”

However, Elisa’s condition doesn’t affect her nighttime routine only. Living and managing cerebral palsy is something that she and her family have to deal with every minute of every day.

“Elisa is not able to do what she wants, she is trapped in her body. She cannot go from lying down to sitting independently.”

For the time being Elisa has to use a walker to help her get around and, at such a young age, has to visit a physiotherapist for two hours twice a week in order to help her get stronger.

But, despite her physical condition, Elisa’s spirit is far from broken. The young athlete loves to swim and is even part of the Special Olympics where she trains weekly with her friends and practices movement and sports fundamentals.

But if Elisa wants to improve, big sacrifices have to be made, including a €35,835 journey to the US and that’s just for the operation alone.

The young Maltese girl will be traveling to St. Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri where she will undergo selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery to help ease her pain and quality of life and set her on a path to a brighter future.

In order to lessen the financial burden of the surgery, Elisa and her family will be accepting donations via Revolut using the details below:

+356 79592825

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Let’s work together to help create a better future for young Elisa.

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