A BURY mum is making a final desperate plea for help to send her brave disabled daughter to America for a life-changing operation.

So far, nearly £15,000 has been raised towards the cost of five-year-old Poppy Marina Taylor-Jones undergoing groundbreaking cerebral palsy treatment at a hospital in Missouri, USA.

But that falls short of the expected bill of £60,000 for all the treatment and specialist physiotherapy.

Poppy’s worried mum, Mrs Ria Jones, is fearful that the operation in June will have to be cancelled and Poppy will lose her only chance to walk independently. The scheduled surgery is vital to allow the youngster to walk unaided as she currently has to wear splints or use a walking frame.

Mrs Jones, aged 28, of Richmond Street, said: “It is breaking my heart; we are so close to giving Poppy the opportunity of a lifetime. But I feel that it is slipping away because we can’t raise the money we need. I have had friends and family doing everything they can but we are still a long way off the target.”

This week she received the costing from the St Louis Children’s Hospital where the procedure is due to take place and discovered that the deposit of £35,000 is required in just four weeks.

She added: “Everybody has been so supportive and I have teamed up with some other mums from Manchester who are trying to do the same thing, but this will all be for nothing if we can’t raise the money we need for the deposit.”

The treatment involves cutting some of Poppy’s sensory nerve fibres that come from the muscles and enter the spinal cord. The operation is not available on the NHS and the Centre for Cerebral Palsy Spasticity in St Louis, Missouri, is the world’s leading specialists.

Children’s charity, Caudwell Children has been helping the family with fundraising.

Public relations manager, Ben Sutcliffe, said: “Poppy’s friends and family have really got behind the appeal, but with time running out we are desperate to find the money to pay for the hospital bills in America. If lots of people just gave a small donation, we can help give Poppy the life she deserves.”

Anyone interested in helping the Footsteps For Poppy Appeal is asked to contact Caudwell Children on 01782 600114 or to donate visit justgiving.com/footsteps4 poppy l Mrs Jones and two other mums have organised a fundraising event at Manchester’s Hard Rock Cafe on May 26 from 6.30pm. For details contact Caudwell Children on 01782 600114 or to donate visit www.justgiv ing.com/manchestermums