Girl with rare illness hoping for chance to meet Ellen

Girl with rare illness determined to meet Ellen A young Vancouver girl living with a potentially fatal illness is one step closer to meeting her favourite celebrity.

A young Vancouver girl living with a rare, terminal illness is making the most of the time she has – and is determined to meet Ellen Degeneres, her favourite celebrity.

Jayda Suttie, now 11, bumped heads with another child in gym class two years ago, and in that moment her life changed forever.

"It's nothing really different. It's just you have to be super-duper careful,” said Jayda.

She went into a coma, and when she woke up three days later, doctors diagnosed her with leukodystrophy, an extremely rare genetic disorder affecting nerves in the brain.

“Jayda, when she woke up from the coma could only move her eyes,” said her mom, Linda Suttie. “We were in Children’s Hospital for a week and then she went to Sunnyhill to do rehab.”

Jayda has tickets to see Ellen at Rogers Arena Oct. 19 – and she wants her favourite celebrity to know she’s determined to meet her that day.

"I love animals. I love to sing. I love to dance. I like everything like you. I just need to meet you and be on your show,” she said, hoping Ellen will get the message.

People diagnosed with leukodystrohy generally only live another two to 10 years, but Jayda’s mom says her progress has been better than expected.

“She was up walking in five weeks and neurology didn’t think she would walk,” said Linda Suttie. “She’s worked really hard.”

Unable to ride a regular bike, Jayda found a four-wheel pedal car at the toy store – and wasn’t fazed by the $300 price tag.

She set up a lemonade stand, and within a day had the money to buy the car for herself.

“My lemonade company is called Jayda’s Juice or Juicy J’s Lemonade,” she said.

Given how she’s handled her other challenges, little Juicy J just might be able to talk her way to a meet and greet with Ellen after all.