ROANOKE, Va. – Ten-month-old Harper Laird looks like any other happy, healthy baby. But in her short months of life, Harper has fought more battles than most.
"If I could describe her I'd choose one word -- it would be a miracle. She's just a miracle," said Gordon Laird, Harper's dad.
The family is from Asheville, North Carolina but Harper's heath problems led them to Roanoke.
Harper has Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome -- one side of her body is larger than the other. And with that syndrome came omphalocele, where children are born with some of their abdominal organs on the outside of their body. Through hospital visits and surgeries, Harper's omphalocele was repaired, but now she faces another battle, cancer.
"If I could take it all away from her I would," said Ashley Lambert, Harper's mom.
Harper had tumors removed from her liver and now she undergoes chemotherapy. She eats through a feeding tube.
"It's been my worst nightmare but I'm glad I got to do it with her because I wouldn't trade her for anything in the world," Lambert said.
The family's main concern is just getting Harper healthy. But on top of that, they're dealing with thousands and thousands of dollars of medical bills. They saw without the help of the community and their family none of this would have been possible.
"We've had lots of support throughout the whole thing but it's still been really hard because every time we do get a job opportunity something would happen," Lambert said.
This is the new normal for Harper and her parents. They have high hopes for her future, a future without constant hospital visits and health problems, a future they're hoping the community will help support.
A fundraiser to help Harper and her family is happening Saturday night in Roanoke at The Front Row. For details, click here.
There is also a GoFundMe page set up for the family. Click here to help out.