14 DAY TRIAL // Demi-Leigh Mahon was born with a rather bizarre condition that baffled doctors and shocked her parents, when they were told she wouldn't make it past the age of two. Amazingly, the young girl managed to overcome her illness and celebrate her sweet sixteen.
The rare condition caused Demi's lungs and heart not to develop properly and made her incredibly susceptible to infections. The 16-year-old suffers from a defective heart valve, chronic lung disease and shortness of breath, besides the fact that her body is unable to produce the B-cells that are meant to fight infections, notes Daily Mail.
The teenager's condition often leaves her so exhausted that she needs long periods of rest in order to recover, sometimes sleeping for as long as four days just to be able to walk.
She has been on and off hospitals all her life, and at the age of thirteen, the girl had to have a lens transplant to remove cataracts developed in her eyes. Now, she is waiting for a double lung transplant.
Demi's parents, Kerry and Darren are happy to see that, despite the doctors' predictions, the girl defied all odds and made it to the age of sixteen. The girl's mother had to give up her job and care for her daughter on a full-time basis.
Demi is a fighter, and even though her condition is a really heavy burden to carry, she is happy to see her friends and be part of Make-a-Wish foundation. “I love seeing my friends and my birthday was brilliant. I just try to take life one day at a time and deal with it as it comes. You have down days and up days,” the teenager told Daily Mail.
For her sweet sixteen, the girl asked all of her friends to donate the money they wanted to spend on gifts to the Make-a-Wish Foundation, as she feels grateful for the help they offered and the fact that they granted her wish of swimming with dolphins back in 2010.