The Byrne family from Cobh in Co.Cork are delighted that their six-year-old girl, Katie, has a chance to have a life-changing operation in the US.
The family are fundraising for the surgery, called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), which is $60,000 and will give Katie a chance to walk for the first time in her life.
The family have already been touched by the amount of people donating, and say that Katie’s chance to walk would change her life.
Katie was born 12 weeks premature in November 2006 weighing only 3lbs and was in intensive care for over a month.
When she was 17 months old, her parents noticed she was not reaching milestones in sitting or crawling. She was then diagnosed with spastic deplegic cerebral palsy.
The surgery will be carried out by Dr TS Parks at the St Louis Children’s Hospital in St Louis, Missouri.
You can learn more about Katie’s surgery on her Facebook page or fundraising page.
