Born at Just a 1lb, Baby Gabby Thrives

Nov. 11, 2009 -- Gabriella Gil entered this world four months early and weighed just over a pound. Doctors gave her a 15 percent chance of surviving.

Now, at eight months and 12 lbs, she's come a long way for such a little girl.

"It's hard to believe but Gabby actually weighed less than a can of soda," her mother Maruja told Good Morning America. "It's kind of shocking but at the same time there's hope, there's a life, there's a soul in this little baby."

Problems with Maruja's uterus forced her to deliver at 23 weeks, giving little Gabby only a 15 percent chance of survival.

Doctors at Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami diagnosed Gabriella with lung and eye disease, liver failure and bleeding in the brain.

Gabriella was so delicate that her parents couldn't even hold her for two months.

They performed dozens of risky surgeries and procedures, including open heart surgery and laser eye surgery. Luckily, they were all a success.

But perhaps some of the best medicine was having her mom and dad by her side every day.

"She grabbed my finger and I told her, Gabby, we're here together," Maruja said. "Hold on because we're going to be here for the rest of our lives."