Brave girl, 6, fights with a smile after being left unable to walk or speak – My London

A brave six-year-old girl has been left unable to talk or walk independently after suffering a bleed on the brain when she was a baby.

Isabella Damree has been described by her parents as the most happy and loving little girl whose strength and determination continues to amaze them.

Isabella was born on July 19, 2015, to mum Cassie and dad Adam. Cassie opened up to MyLondon about Isabellas birth: Being pregnant, I didn't have any issues at all. There was no indication that anything was wrong from any scans.

READ MORE:'Loving and funny' girl, 4, left unable to speak after suffering stroke in mums womb

When she was born, she was whisked away from me. She was rushed to intensive care - I didnt see her for a good few hours, and that in itself was very traumatising and very scary.

I didnt know anything from that point other than she needed a bit of assistance breathing - I didn't expect there was anything wrong.

Two days after Isabellas birth, her parents were told that shed had a bleed on the left side of her brain. Later, they were told she also had cerebral palsy and a rare chromosome abnormality called 8P inverted duplication/deletion syndrome

I was devastated, Cassie explained. I was broken at that point - my whole world just caved. We honestly thought theyd got it wrong.

Then, you go through this transition as a parent where you start grieving for the child that you expected, and then accepting the child that you've got and learning to understand what she can and cant do, but what her potential is.

Today, Isabella lives in Brentwood with her mum Cassie, her two older siblings, Amee, 21, and Louis, 20, and her little sister, two-year-old Charlotte.

Isabella has been under the care of specialists at Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital, which she visits frequently for treatment and appointments.

Mum Cassie explained that Isabellas dual diagnosis of cerebral palsy and 8P has impacted her life greatly, and she is unable to live the same life as other children her age.

She is unable to walk and stand independently, crawl, and has hypotonia, meaning her muscles get very tight and she has no balance, Cassie said.

Isabella is also unable to talk and communicate with me to express herself [...] her not being able to speak to me is heartbreaking.

Although the past six years have been difficult for Cassie, she hopes speaking up about her familys experience will help other parents of disabled children.

There isn't enough knowledge or information out there for these conditions, Cassie said. I didn't know anything about hamoerages or anything like that.

Theres such a misconception out there, especially about children with extra chromosomes.

Cassie continued: Despite all her little setbacks in life, she remains to be the most happiest and loving of little girls, whose strength and determination amaze me, who fights with a smile every day.

She loves music - singing is her thing, she gets really excited and just loves it [...] she was meant to be the way she was - it was just meant to be.

Specialist treatment has significantly improved Isabellas development, including physiotherapy and a communication device called Eye Gaze, through which Isabella can communicate with her eyes.

Despite all of Izzys obstacles, one of her greatest strengths is Izzys ability to communicate using her eyes.

She has wowed us all with how quickly she is understanding and using the system for communication and expressing herself. She is a joy to watch.

Isabellas Eye Gaze is currently on loan to the family, and Cassie hopes through fundraising they can buy one of their own to help continue her development.

The national charity Just4Children has set up a fundraising page to support Isabella on her journey.

Over 1,000 has been raised so far, and every penny will go towards providing the specialist treatment, equipment and therapy Isabella needs to continue living her life to the full.

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Ive had to give up my full time job to become Isabella's carer, Cassie explained. Any parent will tell you that everything is so expensive - everythings in its thousands.

Were so overwhelmed with gratitude that people would be so kind, especially during these difficult times.

I am not very good at asking for help, and I'm not very good at admitting that financially you might need help to see your child do something which could potentially change their lives.

Its lovely to think that people would give up their hard earned money and consider Isabella.

For more information on Isabellas fundraising journey or to donate, click here

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Brave girl, 6, fights with a smile after being left unable to walk or speak - My London