A young boy in the UK has defined doctors who said he would never walk again.

 

11-year-old Luca Railton was born with a rare condition called bilateral hemimelia, which means he has no bone in his right knee, no tibia and only a partial left tibia.

 

The condition, which affects one-in-three million, meant that he would have to have his leg amputated or fused straight.

 

Refusing to listen to doctors who said the youngster would never walk again, Luca’s parents set about raising funds to take the young boy to Florida where Dr. Dror Paley said he would be able to help using surgery that would stretch the leg.

 

Talking to the Mirror, his mother Teresa said: "From the moment he was born our goal in life has been for him to keep his legs. We knew we would do everything in our power for him. Before we went to America, Luca was getting worse. He was in pain and reliant on his crutches. It was awful to see.”

 

Admitting that they would have re-mortaged their home to get the much-needed funds, Teresa is grateful to everyone who donated.

 

“We knew we had to raise £135,000 and our friends have been brilliant. We have had amazing donations. But if we hadn't our plan B was to re-mortgage the house,” she said.

 

After doctor’s in the UK said there was nothing more they could do, the family flew to Florida and Luca underwent his first operation in March. For  weeks, his parents had to turn struts to help the bone grow.

 

The family returned home in December of last year, after nine months in the Sunshine state, and while the youngster has been able to walk without crutches the journey is not over for Luca.

 

However, he admits it has all been “worth it” saying: "It's getting easier. It was difficult at times because of the pain. The highlight for me was when the frame came off on November 19. And it makes it a lot easier to get dressed in the morning without callipers.

 

"I can wear skinny jeans and I just wear regular shoes now. It's been worth it."

 

 

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