When Ellie Bishop was five years old, she almost lost her life to meningitis.
The young girl from Rowley Regis, England, survived -- but doctors had to amputate her left leg below the knee, her right leg above the knee, her right arm and part of her left hand, according to the Birmingham Mail. Ellie's mother, Karen Dunnaway, wasn't sure how she or her daughter would handle the drastic change. But Ellie surprised her.
"Later she looked down at her legs and asked me why was one bigger than the other!" Dunnaway told the paper. "Her attitude was amazing, and got me through it."
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In just 12 months, Ellie got right back to her favorite hobby -- horseback riding, according to the Daily Mail. And now, seven years later, 13-year-old Ellie swims, cooks and, three times a week, she rides her horse, Mollie. Her goal is to become a Parlympic dressage rider.
"Horses are her passion," Dunnaway told the Daily Mail. "She used to ride before she became ill and was adamant she would get back in the saddle one day."
Ellie told the paper that at first, it was difficult figuring out how to hold on to her horse, but she's overcome every challenge thrown her way.
"I never discourage her from doing anything," her mom told the Birmingham Mail. "I firmly believe she can do whatever she wants to."
Watch Ellie describe how she overcame her disabilities and got back in the saddle:
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