This little girl is one-in-a-million – literally.
Eight-year-old Virsaviya Borun was born with Pentalogy of Cantrell, a birth defect in which the heart is not protected by a chest wall – only a thin layer of skin.
She also does not have a diaphragm or abdominal muscles.
Her condition is extremely rare and only affects one in a million people worldwide.
Speaking to the BBC, her mother Dari Borun said doctors had told her that her daughter would not survive – but she never lost hope.
“When I saw the first time how her heart was beating, of course to me it was something special.
“It meant that Virsaviya’s alive and she can breathe and she can live.”
Doting mom Dari regularly posts beautiful pictures and videos of her little girl on Instagram, in which Virsaviya’s beating heart is a sight to behold.
Virsaviya also remains extremely positive about her condition.
“This is my heart. I’m the only one that has this,” she confidently told the BBC.
The family moved from Russia to the USA for medical assistance to help Virsaviya live longer, and so that she might undergo a life-changing operation that could see her chest wall repaired.
Unfortunately, doctors could not operate on their first attempt because the then seven-year-old’s blood pressure was too low.
“It’s not easy for Virsaviya to live with her heart on the outside because it’s really fragile,” her mom said.
“She has to be careful as of course she can fall and it can be really dangerous – she can die from that.”
While they plan another appointment for the surgery, Dari is determined to give Virsaviya the best life she can possibly can.
Sources: BBC, Metro, Daily mail