Poppy wiggles her toes for first time

Cerebral palsy sufferer Poppy Marina Taylor-Jones is now recovering from her first operation at a specialist hospital in Missouri, USA, And her delighted mum Ria told the Bury Times: “Poppy has achieved more in four days than she did in four years of physiotherapy in the UK.”

She is ecstatic at the rapid progress her daughter has made since the three-and-a-half hour operation at the Centre for Cerebral Palsy Spasticity in St Louis last week.

Now, hopes are high the little girl will ultimately be able to walk without the aid of sticks and splints.

The surgery was only made possible after Ria, aged 28, of Richmond Street, Bury, launched a £60,000 Footsteps4Poppy appeal to meet all the costs. So far, £25,000 has been raised, although the hospital has agreed a payment plan to fund the remaining cost.

Poppy is undergoing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) treatment which involves cutting away some of the sensory nerve fibres that come from the muscles and enter the spinal cord. The complicated procedure is not available on the NHS.

She is to undergo a second operation within the next fortnight to lengthen the tendons which have been shortened because she has had to walk on tip toes.

But even before that procedure, Poppy has amazed doctors and her family by beginning to walk on flat fleet already.

Ria added: “I didn’t expect to see this until after the second operation. Poppy is exceeding expectations. She wiggled her toes for the first time in her life three days post-op. The smile on Poppy’s face was worth months of fundraising and stress.

“On Monday, she pedalled a bike for the first time. There is no stopping this determined little girl. Seeing what she can do now has made it all worthwhile. To say I’m proud of my little girl would be an understatement — she has been so brave.”

She added: “I wish to thank everybody involved in making my little girl find new strengths.”