Helianny was not meant to be born, according to her doctors.
She was believed to be "incompatible with life" even before she exited the womb, all because of her facial deformities.
Doctors noticed these abnormalities through ultrasounds, and so they suggested that her parents, Soleannys Lugo and Henry Buitrago, abort their unborn child.
"Even though we were told she was a vegetable, I assured them she was not because she kicked me (in the womb). She responded to stimuli, when I talked to her she responded with kicks and she liked instrumental music, she moved a lot with all of this," Soleannys said, according to the Daily Mail.
The Venezuelan mother decided to keep the child in order to "give her a chance to live," and now they don't regret that decision for a second.
Helianny was born on time via cesarean section. According to doctors, she had a cleft lip and unformed eyes.
"I would compare Helianny's appearance back then to a 'supernatural queen' because she had a crown embedded in her head," Lugo said. "The three protrusions on her head looked like a crown, she had no eyebrows, no eyelashes, very pronounced veins on her head that seemed to burst and pink skin color in her eyes, where her eyeballs should be."
She also had hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a build up of cerebrospinal fluid in the brain.
It wasn't only her face that had irregularities, her hands and feet did too.
Instead of regretting Helianny the moment they saw her, Soleannys believes her daughter "came to this world to teach us not to give up."
But that's not how everyone saw the baby. Some strangers described her as a "horrible thing" and "ugly."
And right when she was born, the doctor had given Helianny's father holy water to baptize her and let her die in peace, according to the Daily Mail.
Helianny's parents ignore all the negativity around them and focus on raising their daughter and getting all the help she needs.
Now three years later, Helianny looks very different than what she looked like when she was a baby.
Helianny continues to get strange looks from people around her, but her mother is proud of all that she has accomplished.
The toddler even loves swimming!
Soleannys hopes that she can raise enough money to give her daughter all the surgeries she requires to become more independent:
"I dream of seeing Helianny walk, talk and be as independent as possible so her only limitation is what she limits herself to. I thank God every day of my life, Helianny has life, strength, tenderness, perseverance, optimism and she is an angel."
If you'd like to donate to Helianny, click here.
Do you think Helianny's parents made the right decision to keep her? Let us know in the comments! And don't forget to share this little girl's inspiring story.
[H/T: Daily Mail]
