One family's inspiring fight against Mitochondrial disease

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - Six years ago, Melissa Corvino gave birth to her second child. A baby girl named Lexi. But as healthy as Lexi looked on the outside, her body was fighting on this inside.

Hospitalized 7 times in the first year of her life, Lexi's first seizure came at only 3 weeks old. For years, she fought exhaustion and illness, with no doctor able to diagnose what was wrong with her.

"It was just test after test, IV after IV, just getting poked and prodded until they can figure something out," Melissa said.

Finally, Melissa found a specialist in Philadelphia who diagnosed Lexi with Mitochondrial disease, which affects the main organs of the body causing them to shut down and has no cure.

"She goes to school she's fine," Melissa said. "She's spunky, she's has a ton of energy and then within maybe 2 hours she's not herself. She becomes pale, lethargic."

It's been a long road for the now-spunky 6-year-old who knows going to the doctor means she'll get her "superpowers" back. Powers that she knows sometimes fail her.

With this week in September being Mitcochodiral Awareness Week, Melissa has started a nonprofit called Lexi's Mitofight which provides funding to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's mitochondrial research program. 

"She's beat the odds so far and she's so tough" explained Melissa. 

Her parents know however that their real fight is far from over and they plan on doing whatever they can to give Lexi her best life.

"I pray every day for one more day and that there's going to be a cure someday soon," Melissa said.