THE family of a little girl who has Cerebral Palsy and brain damage has launched a fundraising appeal to pay for a life-changing operation in America to help her walk.

Emmy King was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy Spastic Diplegia last July when she was just 20-months-old.

Her mother, Carly King, researched treatment options for her daughter and came across a spinal operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), which helps sufferers walk.

But the procedure is not yet available on the NHS in the UK, so the Kings, from Lychpit, have launched an appeal called Ready Emmy Walk to raise the £85,000 needed to pay for the surgery in America, and fund the after care costs.

Emmy was born eight weeks prematurely after her identical twin sister, Ava, died in the womb of Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome.

Doctors warned Carly and her husband Dave that Emmy was likely to have brain damage due to an interruption in the blood flow to her brain when her sister died.

Carly said: “Emmy has been through such a lot in her short life already.”

She added: “Emmy’s Cerebral Palsy causes increased muscle tone in her legs and feet which makes them constantly stiff. This affects her balance and co-ordination, making simple things such as crawling, cruising and even sitting up harder for her. Emmy is not yet able to stand or walk independently.”

Although there is no cure for Cerebral Palsy, Carly said SDR is the only procedure that could permanently reduce or eliminate the spasticity in her two-year-old daughter’s legs.

The 30-year-old, who also has a five-year-old daughter called Isla, added: “Spasticity causes a lot of pain, and over time, shortening of muscles and tendons, joints contractures and bone deformities. Without SDR, Emmy would face multiple orthopaedic operations, botox treatment and leg casting throughout her life and would ultimately need a wheelchair.”

She said there had been NHS trials of SDR in the UK, but it could be years before the procedure is available on the NHS.

She added: “It’s frustrating and sad that funding isn’t available for treatments like this. Cerebral Palsy is no fault of her own and this procedure would really change her life. I feel sorry for families who aren’t aware of this or who can’t do the fundraising and their child will have to suffer as a result.”

Carly hopes to raise enough funds to take Emmy to the USA before her third birthday in November.

She said: “The results from SDR are simply incredible and children that were told they would never walk are not only walking, they are running, jumping and dancing too.”

She added: “Our family’s dream is to see Emmy doing the simple things in life that are often taken for granted - walking alongside her big sister, playing in the park and jumping in muddy puddles.”

The Kings launched their appeal on January 27, and in less than a week donations flooded in, raising nearly £4,000.

Carly said: “We are overwhelmed. People have been so generous.”

The family also plan to host a series of fundraising events and are updating followers of Emmy’s story on a Facebook page called Ready Emmy Walk.

To donate visit https://www.justgiving.com/readyemmywalk/.

All money raised will be held by the charity Just4Children.