This inspiring 12-year-old Houston girl doesn’t let a wheelchair hold her back

‘She’s a child who looks at things and sees the possible, not the impossible’

HOUSTON – Twelve-year-old Elena Porras is a survivor.

While doctors told her mom she was not going to be able to do many things in life, Elena is proving she won't be limited by others.

“Elena is my miracle child. Elena was born with stage 3 neuroblastoma. At the moment she was born we were surrounded by a group of doctors talking about all the things that Elena wouldn’t do .The reason I call her my miracle child is because not only did she beat the cancer, she’s already done so many things they said she wouldn’t do,” said Juliet Porras, who takes part in Life Time’s weightlifting program, Alpha Strong, to help her daughter, who has been paralyzed since she was a baby due to spinal cord injuries caused by the tumor.

“I started training specifically, so that I could gain strength because I needed to always lift Elena, and a big issue was whenever she was in the bathtub or on the floor by the pool, sitting at the pool, picking her up from the ground was something that I struggled with originally,” said Porras, who had no idea she was going to inspire her daughter to get stronger.

Because Elena is following her mother’s footsteps and exercising in her wheelchair with the intention of one day joining Alpha.

“I wanted to work out because I wanted to be stronger, and to be honest, I kind of wanted to be a little bit more like Mom,” said Elena, who exercises at the gym thanks to Crystal Flores, the personal trainer who adjusted the program for her.

“I’m so proud of both of them, I’m proud of seeing how strong Juliet has gotten in the years that I’ve worked with her, and Elena following in her footsteps, it feels good to watch that happen,” said Flores about their accomplishments.

“If I can do it, everyone can do it,” said Porras, inviting everyone to exercise, regardless of their abilities.

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