A mother daughter duo are finding both physical and emotional strength by leaning on each other.
When Elena was born in April 2007 with a golf ball sized mass protruding from her back, doctors diagnosed her with stage 3 neuroblastoma, a tumor of nerve tissue that develops in infants and children and can occur in many areas of the body.
Elena soon underwent chemotherapy, which helped shrink the tumor, before having it removed. Unfortunately, Elena suffered complications, and the tumor left her permanently paralyzed.
As Elena got older, it became more difficult for her mother, Julie Porras, to lift her up.
That’s when Porras knew she had to get stronger in order to be the best caretaker she could be for her daughter.
Porras met with a trainer who suggested she start doing olympic lifting. She began gaining muscle and got stronger both physically and mentally.
“I got my mental strength as well as my physical strength,” Porras told TODAY. “[Elena’s] 130 pounds now and I can pick her up. I can do all our stuff that we do day-to-day whether it’s showering, changing clothes or anything.”
Inspired by her mother’s dedication, Elena decided to start weight lifting as well.
Now, Elena is able to use her upper body much more than she used to, and is even able to get in the car by herself, something she was never able to do before.
Porras is currently working toward becoming a personal trainer so that she could help others reach their fitness goals.
“If you take care of you, everything else falls into place — and taking care of you is being your healthiest self,” she told TODAY. “I have that mental strength because I invested in myself and that means I gave myself an hour a day.”
Hear their inspiring story in the video below:
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