‘Miracle girl’ continues to defy the odds

LITTLE Mary Cunningham’s family will soon mark her first birthday — a milestone doctors predicted she would never live to see.

Mary was born with the terminal form of a rare genetic disorder called Smith Lemli Opitz Syndrome (SLOS), which has physical symptoms including a weak heart, curved spine, very low cholesterol levels and a cleft pallet meaning she can’t eat solids.

Her mother Anita feeds her through a nasal tube and Mary weighs less than nine pounds, as poor weight gain is another symptom of the syndrome. There is a slim hope that if she puts on enough weight she might be suitable for treatment in the US but, in the meantime, every day she lives is a blessing for Anita and her mother, also Mary.