7-year-old ballerina gets back on stage after almost losing her feet in an accident

Children can inspire us in various ways. Sometimes, they exhibit so much strength and determination that even adults cannot fathom. Recently, the story of a young girl who set the stage on fire with her ballet performance just seven months after almost losing her feet is making its rounds on the internet. A press release published by Carilion Clinic revealed the inspiring story of Aubrey Scaletta from Virginia with a video that showed the 7-year-old relentlessly giving her best ballet performance.

This May, Aubrey, along with her twin sister, Grayson, was returning from their gymnastics class when a terrible accident happened. The ratchet strap that Aubrey was playing with in the car fell out of the window and got caught in the drive shaft, almost pulling her out. The little girl's feet were severed and she had to rush to the pediatric center of the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital in a helicopter. While other doctors thought that she needed to be transferred out of town, Dr. Peter Apel, one of the orthopedic surgeons in the hospital, insisted that she needed to be treated instantly as her feet were salvageable. "We had to operate quickly to re-establish blood flow and reattach her feet to her legs," Dr.Apel said. "If we would have waited even a few hours, the feet would have died and most certainly would have been amputated."

After multiple surgeries, Aubrey is currently recovering well. Her parents, who once thought she might never walk again, are astounded by her grit and determination. Lauren Scaletta, Aubrey's mom, posted on Instagram about her journey through recovery. Now that the little survivor is dancing her way through life, the mom said, "I remember right after she got out of the hospital, I was running an errand and I saw a little girl in a dance leotard with her mom, and it struck me that we might never be able to do things like that again. So just being here and watching her do the things she loves makes me constantly say, 'She's incredible.'" The mom shared her overwhelming happiness when Aubrey ran around the hospital with her reattached feet. 

On December 9, Aubrey astounded the audience with her amazing performance as one of Mother Ginger's Bon Bon children in "The Nutcracker." Her twin sister Grayson, who had been Aubrey's dancing partner since the age of three, also performed with her. Grayson was utterly traumatized by her sister's accident and refused to participate in ballet without her. Now that Aubrey was back on stage with her mobility aid, the twins shared a special moment dancing joyously together.

Aubrey's proud father, Daniel Scaletta, said, "She is definitely a performer. She is a little ham. To see her back in her element, it's unreal. She's been dancing around the house for weeks in preparation, making us play the Nutcracker on TV so she can watch it. She's probably the only 7-year-old who prefers the Nutcracker ballet to regular Christmas music." Dr. Apel and his team's treatment is helping Aubrey consistently heal and get back on her feet. The little tough cookie has immense determination to achieve whatever she wants.