Alyssa Sippley was a typical 9-year-old.

Even her illness was, at first, pretty typical.

“She wasn’t feeling great,” says her father, Yves Sippley. “And her mother gave her like medications for the flu.”

Sippley actually had type-a strep throat, but her mother noticed bruising and rushed her to the hospital in Miramichi, where doctors quickly had her airlifted to the IWK in Halifax.

“She was really, in very, very bad condition,” adds her father.

She was brought to the IWK in November, and since then, Alyssa’s life has been forever changed.

“Basically her blood was clotting in her limbs,” Alyssa’s dad explains. “It was clotting everywhere, really. There wasn’t anything that wasn’t affected.”

Doctors initially gave her a five per cent chance of survival.

Those odds have now increased to 95, but with tremendous cost.

“Both of her arms got amputated from the elbow,” says her sister, Caitlin Sippley. “And one leg was from under the knee, and the other all the way up to the hip.”

The family says Alyssa is now beginning to realize what has happened to her.

“She does realize that some of her limbs are gone,” her father explains. “You can see that it really hurts her, and it scares her. It breaks our heart to see her that way.”

The family is from Baie-Sainte-Anne, New Brunswick.

They say it is difficult being so far away from home, but their community has provided a great deal of support.

“It’s really been amazing,” says her father, Yves. “I never expected it. It’s really been overwhelming.”

Fundraising is underway, and the total is rapidly climbing.

“She’s going to have to get prosthetic limbs,” explains her sister, Caitlin. “And for adjustments around things, you know, we’re going to have to adjust our house, and our car and all that.”

“I know she has a lot of will to fight,” adds her father. “She had a lot of love from her family and her community, and I think that also gave her a lot of will to fight, to keep fighting.”

Alyssa’s sister, Caitlin, says she has only one wish this Christmas.

“I would wish for my sister to be home with me.”

It may not be possible in time for this year’s holiday season, but the family is now hopeful it will come true someday.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Kayla Hounsell.