Her cheeks were swollen and her tongue could not be closed in her mouth.

Katie Renfroe, 4, from Paxton, Florida, USA, was born with a genetic disorder called megalencephaly (large brain disease) that causes her face to have very strange abnormalities.

Her mother, Angie Renfroe, said that this disease also caused her daughter to have seizures 50 times a day. She said: “All we did was love Katie and care for her. We never treated her like a disabled person.”

Katie is known to be the 6th of 8 children of Angie and her husband, Danial Renfroe. When she was three months pregnant, the doctor told her about the abnormality of the fetus and diagnosed the baby with megalencephaly syndrome.

However, with a family living in a rural area, Angie and her husband did not foresee the consequences that this syndrome caused. It took a while for the doctor to explain the condition and ask Angie to make a decision. “I was trying to figure out how to deal with this difficult situation,” Angie said. “Finally, I had a choice. I had to give birth to my child, that’s where she belonged. I would take care of her no matter what.”

On January 28, Angie gave birth to Katie by cesarean section. “When I first saw my daughter, she was still very beautiful, with two small marks on both cheeks,” Angie’s husband, Danial, said. “Gradually, Katie’s ears became deformed, her cheeks swelled, and her tongue couldn’t be held in her mouth.”

Angie’s family traveled to Hollywood, Florida, where a surgeon at Memorial Hospital would perform the first surgery in Katie’s treatment. They would reduce her cheeks, operate on her ears, and shorten her tongue. The team of doctors hope that, with the weight reduced, baby Katie will be able to stand more firmly.

Angie added: “I have a strong faith. I never regret giving birth to Katie. If God gives you something, you must never give up.”