8-Year-old Girl Suffering From Cerebral Palsy Becomes A Model Against All Odds

Sky is the limit for the dreamers and 8-year-old Emily Prior has defied all odds to prove it. The disabled girl -- who suffers from cerebral palsy -- has gotten her first modeling gig.

Emily decided to take a chance on becoming a model while flipping through a catalog with her mother, Jen Prior. Observing the models in the picture, Emily asked, “Mummy, why are none of the models in here disabled like me?" The Mirror said that was the moment Emily decided she wanted to be a model to create a better representation of the disabled.

The girl has been signed by a modeling agency and recently completed her first photo shoot. Emily's dream is to be shot for a cover of a magazine.

Medical professionals in Perth, Australia warned Jen Priorand her husband, Luke, Emily might never walk. However, earlier this year, Emily took her first steps and can now walk up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) without the aid of crutches.

“I always kept hope, but I never really thought walking would be possible for her. I have to pinch myself when I think about how far she’s exceeded anything we could have imagined,” the proud mother said in a statement .

Jen gave birth to Emily and her twin sister Reese in March 2007 -- three months prematurely -- after a 16-hour labor. The twins were very weak and weighed only 5 pounds total. The infants were immediately transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit and not released until they were 11 weeks old.

At the age of 1, Emily was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as doctors detected a bleed in her brain. Reese suffered a milder form of the disorder and was diagnosed two years later. Reese started to crawl and walk while Emily struggled.

Cerebral palsy is one of the most common forms of congenital disorder. It affects muscle movement, motor skills and muscle tone in children. The disorder is primarily caused by a nonprogressive brain injury or a malformation at the time when the brain of the fetus is developing.