A child born with a rare incurable condition known as brittle bone disease has stood up on her own two feet for the very first time.
Mya Honca was born with the rare condition, which means that she's "like a China doll" and could suffer a break at any time.
Mya, who is now 15-months-old, had to spend the first six months of her life lying down, and has faced an uphill struggle to build up her muscles ever since her diagnosis.
Her parents, Emma, 38, and Louis Honca, 34, have had to treat their little one with extra care to prevent her from being injured.
According to her parents, doctors said that the toddler should be able to walk a short distance in the future, but that she will likely need a wheelchair to get around in the long term.
Now, incredible footage captured last month, shows Mya reaching a very important milestone: standing on her own two feet for the very first time.
This was quite the feat considering that she has bones so brittle that a sneeze could break her back!
Emma said that the moment was both "brilliant" and "terrifying", though she has concerns given that Mya's new independence means that she is at more risk of injury.
Watch the heartwarming moment below:"To see Mya stand on her own two feet for the first time was a really incredible moment," Emma said. "She has been through a lot throughout her short life so far but has managed to smile and giggle the whole time, her attitude has been amazing."
"We definitely see this as a major milestone and a cause of celebration, but at the same time the prospect of Mya being on her feet does terrify me." The more independence she gains the higher the chance is of her hurting herself, which isn’t really something we can avoid, it’s part of her life unfortunately.”
Emma, who works as a mental health nurse, and her husband Louis, who works as an illustrator as well as caring for Mya, live in Hull, East Yorkshire. They have two other children; 13-year-old Josh, and four-year-old Marcus.
Emma explained that they first realized something was amiss when she had her routine 20-week scan in January 2019, when she was pregnant with Mya.
It was discovered that the unborn baby had a fractured femur in the womb. At the time, the couple were unaware that their daughter had brittle bone disease, also known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, until Emma gave birth on May 13.
"Doctors told us she could have one of many conditions, it was really difficult to know her life as a baby wasn’t going to be like most others," Emma said. "After she was born and we found out she has Osteogenesis Imperfecta she had to spend a week on the neonatal unit, which isn’t the start in life we wanted for her."
Emma proceeded to explain that Mya learned how to crawl and stood up for the first time last month. She can now hold her own weight for several seconds before sitting down.
However, this does not come without concern;
"I worry that she could slip and hurt herself at any moment. She has no fear, which is a wonderful thing, but it does make me scared sometimes. With that being said I don’t want her to hold back and be fearful of the world, I want her to live the best possible life she can.”
Emma added: "At the moment she is such a happy little girl – she never stops smiling."
The proud parent said that her main reason for telling her child's story is to raise awareness of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, which affects one in 20,000.
"I hope people can see the happy life Mya is leading and see that Osteogenesis Imperfecta is no reason to stop someone living their life," she stated.
Per the NHS, Osteogenesis imperfecta is a genetic condition present from birth. The website details that its primary feature is fractures that are usually caused by minimal impact.
The disease is due to a defect where collagen is missing, reduced, or of low quality, so it is not enough to support minerals in the bones. This causes the bones to be weak, which in turn makes them increasingly easy to fracture.
