Gallery: Brave Michelle takes her first steps
Published
Cape Town - 120821 - Michelle looking pretty in pink with Dr Roux Martinez, medical officer for the Burns Unit, and mother Ursula Motibi - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - 120821 - Michelle plays with building blocks with Rukaiya Mowzer - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - 120821 - Goldie the Care Clown plays with Michelle - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - 120821 - Michelle is fed her daily medicine - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - 120821 - Michelle undergoes physio and occupational therapy with Brett Phillips and Teri-ann Abrahams - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Cape Town - 120821 - Michelle takes some of her first steps in the last four months since her accident with Brett Phillips helping her while Pandora Rees looks on - Michelle Motibi, 5, from Wallacedene suffered from flame burns to 86% of her body after she was in a shack fire. Michelle was basically written-off, not expected to survive, but according to doctors her fighting spirit pulled her through. She has been in the ward for the past 4 months. She is undergoing treatment at Red Cross Children's Hospital's burn unit - Photo: Matthew Jordaan
Doctors decided that Michelle Motibi was “not compatible with life”. But the five-year-old burn victim refused to die.
Michelle suffered severe burns when a candle fell over and set fire to the shack she was sleeping in.
No one expected her to pull through. She was given fluids, food and pain medication, and left to die. But Michelle fought.