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11-year-old struck by car in Saanich suffers brain damage, requires spinal surgery: Mom

Click to play video: 'Young girl struck in crosswalk in Saanich'
Young girl struck in crosswalk in Saanich
Dec. 20: A young girl was struck in a Saanich crosswalk, then rushed to hospital with extensive injuries. As Neetu Garcha reports, neighbours say it's a dangerous area – Dec 21, 2017

All it could have taken to lose Leila Bui was a simple movement.

But that was before the 11-year-old Saanich girl received surgery to stabilize her spine on Thursday, almost a month after she was struck by a car in the intersection of Torquay and Ash Road on Dec. 20, her mother, who declined to offer her name, told Global News.

Bui was rushed to hospital after the incident, which happened when Bui, a Grade 6 student, was walking to school.

READ MORE: Child rushed to hospital with serious injuries after being hit by car in Saanich

She was later taken to Vancouver so she could have surgery, as the incident left her in a fragile state — any slight movement, and Bui could have been lost, her mother said. Her spinal cord could have snapped.

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Bui did “really well” during her surgery, and now that her body has been treated, the focus can be on her brain, her mom said.

Two GoFundMe pages have been set up to support Bui and her family as the 11-year-old undergoes treatment.

Community support

One of them had raised $17,446 toward a goal of $5,000 as of Friday, another had raised $13,848 toward a $5,000 target.

Bui’s mother said she has been “really overwhelmed” with the support her family has seen from the community.

She said she may have to leave her job as she takes care of her.

She also said that accidents have happened at the intersection where Bui was struck.

Now that Bui has undergone surgery, a mother is hoping that her girl will give some kind of a sign when she wakes up.

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