INSIDE EDITION talks to a mother and her young daughter who has undergone 57 surgeries after a pit bull attack five years ago left her badly injured.
She may be the bravest little girl in the world. Seven-year-old Amaya Hess has endured more pain in her short life than most adults could endure in a lifetime.
Five years ago, when she was just two years old, Amaya was attacked by a pit bull. Since then she has undergone 57 surgeries to repair her horrific injuries.
"She had no skin here [on one side of her face], no ear, no anything," said Amaya's mom, Bobbie.
Amaya's mom was taking Amaya and her older sister Brielle to the park, when the pit bull got loose from a neighbor's home.
"The dog came flying out of the door and went straight for Amaya and immediately grabbed her from the stroller. As soon as the dog grabbed Amaya, I grabbed her ankles. Now we've got a tug of war going," said Bobbie.
The dog tore at Amaya's scalp, her ear, and her eye. She was left horribly disfigured with injuries that would require hours and hours of surgery. In fact, her entire life revolves around the hospital.
"If you think 57 surgeries, that's a pre-op for every surgery, a post-op for every surgery and then of course, all the appointments in between," said Bobbie.
But through it all, the tough little girl keeps smiling.
"Before the surgeries, she has never once told me 'I'm scared,' " said Bobbie.
Amaya had her 57th surgery just two weeks ago. It was a procedure to repair her right eyelid so it could open and close. She's been blind in her right eye since the pit bull attack. The surgery could help her see again.
Amaya will undergo many more surgeries as doctors continue to try to repair her devastating injuries. But her mom is not worried. She's confident her little girl can handle it.
"She's a trooper. I'm so proud of her and I'm so proud to be her mom," said Bobbie.
