When Alexa Melek of Struthers was 24 and a half weeks pregnant, doctors diagnosed her unborn daughter, Ariella, with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS).

According to the Cleveland Clinic, HLHS a serious and rare heart condition present at birth. It happens when the left side of the heart is severely underdeveloped. This includes the left ventricle, mitral valve, and aorta. Because of this, the left side of the heart cannot pump enough blood to the body.

Less than a week after her birth, Ariella underwent the first in a series of heart surgeries.

HLHS is a rare condition that affects 1 in 3,800 babies. However, baby Ariella's condition is so severe that doctors said it occurs in 1 out of 450,000 births.

Ariella's parents, Alexa and Robert, along with her brothers, live in Struthers, but for the past six months, a hospital in Cincinnati has been their second home.

Ariella is receiving critical treatment at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, a highly regarded facility specializing in children's heart surgeries to increase her chances of survival.

The condition requires lifelong surgeries, including a heart and liver transplant every ten years, which Ariella will likely need to begin after she turns 15 years old.

The family told 21 News that on top of Ariella's medical condition, they have endured emergency surgeries, sleepless nights, and missed days of work; and the insurance denials have added unnecessary stress for them.

"Which kind of just leaves the bills to be like, kind of, you know, adding up and piling up, Ariella's mother, Alexa Melek said. " It's just hard enough to be in the hospital 24/7, and not being able to work or be like, you know, living a normal life right now, like this is our normal." 

If you would like to help ease their financial load click on this link to donate to Ariella's GoFundMe.

As the 6-month-old continues to undergo surgery after surgery, her family said they are determined to keep fighting for her future.

"Seeing her wake up every morning and have a smile, you know, after going through so much and just being so little, it's just, you know, warms your heart and makes you want to fight for her," Ariella's dad, Robert Torres said.