She lost her legs when she was a baby because of meningitis, but Levana has never let that hold her back.

In her eight years she has endured more than 40 operations and learned to walk on prosthetic legs – and swim.

Levana faces every challenge with a smile and tells people: “The reason I don’t have legs is because I’m special.”

Mum Glenda said: “Her bubbly nature hides her daily pain.

“When her stumps are operated on she is wheelchair-bound for a while, but she’s never once complained.”

The Meningitis Trust was so struck by her positive spirit it asked her to star in a short film, which is screened at fundraising and training events.

Glenda, and Levana’s dad Mark, from Tewkesbury, Glos, were proud when she enrolled in karate lessons and raised £400 for the trust and Children in Need in a sponsored “kickathon”.

Levana said: “It hurt but I was really proud to have done 100 kicks.”