Three-year-old Marissa was born with minor brain damage due to a lack of oxygen during pregnancy and hyper mobility — a condition which makes her muscles floppy and hard to control.

As a result of her illness little Marissa, who is visually and hearing impaired, is now in need of a special skin suit to strengthen the leg muscles and take the extra energy her brain uses on walking and distribute it elsewhere.

The lycra suits, which cost £300 and need to be replaced every three to six months as she grows, also help maintain Marissa's balance.

Support

Marissa's family members are now attempting to raise thousands of pounds to help support her and they recently took part in a sponsored five-mile walk around Teversal trail.

Speaking after the fundraiser, delighted mum Jenny thanked everyone who had offered their support to Marissa.

"We are not sure how much has been raised but it is somewhere around £1,000, which we are delighted with," she said.

"The suits make a big difference to Marissa and we have noticed an improvement in her speech since she started wearing the suits.

"Raising all this money on a continual basis is a massive challenge and we have had to work hard.

"We have received fantastic support from friends and family and we wouldn't be where we are with Marissa if it wasn't for that help.

"As she gets older we may need to make changes to the house such as installing a downstairs toilet so it is going to be a lot more fundraising ahead for us."

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