'Miracle' girl with heart beating outside her chest defies the odds following grim prognosis

A young girl who was born with her heart outside her chest is a walking miracle.

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When Virsaviya Borun was born in Russia, doctors gave her mom, Dari, a grim prognosis.

“They told me she's not going to be able to walk or talk,” she told Inside Edition.

Her condition is known as Pentalogy of Cantrell. It stops the rib cage from growing and leaves the heart exposed and covered by only a thin layer of skin.

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While 90 percent of babieswith the condition die at birth, eight-year-old Virsaviya is proving doctors wrong.

When the popular second-grader attends school in Hollywood, Fla., she wears a chest shield under her uniform. At home, she takes it off because she finds its hard protective shell extremely uncomfortable.

Despite not having a diaphragm, the Russian-born girl loves to sing. The young girl also loves to dance and takes a hip-hop class, showing that nothing can hold her back.

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Her doctor, Jonathon Fox, marvels at her progress.

“Her body has moved this heart to an area where right now it can maintain proper blood pressure, proper circulation and proper breathing,” he said. “As she gets older, we have to watch because we don't know how it's gonna grow.”

To help cover the medical bills, her mother has set up a fundraising page on YouCaring.com. For more information, click here