Four-year-old loses her father and her ability to walk to COVID-19: 'I miss my daddy'

After battling COVID-19 in hospital for eight months, a four-year-old girl is facing a life of paralysis caused by a different illness the virus brought on.

Stella Martin, from New Mexico, USA, was first diagnosed with coronavirus in April 2020, after she went to her mum complaining that her back hurt.

But panic set in for mum Cassandra Yazzie when her daughter suddenly "went limp" in her arms moments later.

The little girl was rushed to hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with COVID-19, later tests showing she also had acute transverse myelitis.

RELATED: Bride-to-be dies of coronavirus after suspected appendicitis

An alarming disease, it causes inflammation in spinal cord segments and can have devastating effects in severe cases.

Doctors at the hospital said they hadn't seen a coronavirus-related case of the virus in a child before, according to the New York Post.

However, the hyper-immune response that COVID-19 can cause in children may be linked to the inflammation in Stella's spinal cord, which has now left her paralysed.

Though doctors warned Yazzie her daughter was unlikely to ever walk again, Stella has reportedly showed signs of improved mobility and can even move her arms a little.

The four-year-old spent five months in one hospital, before being transferred to another for an additional three months.

RELATED: Model Rachel Hunter reveals airport question that made her cry

She was finally released this week, returning home after eight months of treatment and monitoring.

Though her mother is grateful to have her little girl home, the family will be mourning more than just the months they lost with her while Stella was hospitalised.

During her hospital stay, Stella's father died after contracting COVID-19, KOAT reported. Stella told the outlet: "I miss my daddy."

Now, as coronavirus cases continue to be reported at an alarming rate in the US, Yazzie is warning other families not to take the virus lightly.

"I just want everybody to stay safe, to not take COVID lightly, because it is affecting my daughter in a big way," she told KOAT.