UNC Chapel Hill student with muscular dystrophy defies the odds

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina (WTVD) -- As Anne Marie Hagerty with Media Hub at the UNC School of Journalism reports:

Taking a big risk is paying off for a UNC graduate student.

Demi Eckhoff suffers from muscular dystrophy, a group of diseases that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass.

But that didn't stop Eckhoff.

She took a leap by moving from her home state Alabama to Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

She came to the state in pursuit of a master's degree that many told her was impossible for a girl with her condition.

She defied the odds and chased her dream of attending UNC's Master of Public Health program.

Demi is now completing her degree with the help of her 100 personal aides.

Eckhoff is also planning on doing much more, she wants to get her Ph.D. and help change the life of others.