Young Sault girl looks to defy the odds once again

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Sault youth defies the odds

Sault family flooded with support for little girl

Leah Sperry, 6, has spent nearly half of her life in a hospital, including all but nine days in her first year.

Her mother, Heather, said the “super spunky, super sweet, and occasionally mischievous” little girl already has been through significantly more than most people due to a variety of medical conditions.

“She was born (weighing) one pound, three months premature,” Heather said.

“She does have cystic fibrosis. She also has a whole host of other medical issues. So she has had congenital heart disease. She has a diaphragm issue. She has bone marrow issues. Her entire intestinal tract does not function properly.”

Leah has been a regular patient at Sick Kids in Toronto, undertaking more than 200 surgeries, and has been airlifted by Ornge 29 times, with 17 blood transfusions. She has seen 37 specialists in her 6 ½ years and requires 24/7 care.

Heather had to quit her job to look after her child full time and has spent most of her waking minutes by Leah’s side. Through it all, Leah has a smile on her face.

“She is the happiest child ... especially with all the pain and procedures and everything that she’s been through,” her mom said.

“It’s truly remarkable how happy she is.”

Learning to walk and talk has taken years of intensive daily physiotherapy and occupational therapy, but her progress has blown the minds of many professionals.

“It makes you slow down and appreciate the little things, because it wasn’t a guarantee that she was going to walk or talk,” Heather said.

Now that Leah has passed those two milestones, the ambitious girl has her sights set on riding a bike.

“She so desperately wants to do what other children do, even though she has a lot of limitations,” her mom said.

“She wants to go bike riding with her brother. She wants to be a family and just go outside and have some fun for a little bit.”

A GoFundMe has been created to get Leah a specialized bicycle, called ‘Leah’s Loves.’

UPDATE

Watch the video above for an update following the news story that ran on CTV Northern Ontario.