Surgeons give hope to cerebral palsy sufferer, 7, whose dream is to dance

Brooke Ramsay, from Carnoustie in Angus, developed the condition after she and her twin sister Amy were born prematurely in June, 2004, each weighing little more than a bag of sugar.

The little girl, who has to wear splints to aid her walking, had originally been told that the NHS would not pay for the £24,000 operation, known as selective dorsal rhizotomy, which will allow her to walk on the soles of her feet.

But yesterday her parents Laura and Stewart were celebrating after being told that NHS Tayside is now prepared to fund the transformational operation.

Mr Ramsay, a police officer, and his wife, a social care officer, had launched a campaign “Brooke’s Dream” last year to raise the funds needed to send their daughter to Bristol’s Frenchay Hospital where surgical specialist Dr Kristian Aquilina has already carried out the procedure.

Mrs Ramsay, 31, said: “It’s absolutely fantastic news. We’re still on cloud nine. It’s going to totally change Brooke’s life. At the moment she walks on her tiptoes and she falls all the time.

“Our consultant has already told us that Brooke is an ideal candidate for the operation. At the moment she can’t go dancing or ride a bike like her twin and she is desperate to do that. Brooke will always have cerebral palsy but she will be able to do the things that she wants to do.

“She thinks she is going to be running about like Amy within a month or so after the operation. But we see the bigger picture and the light at the end of the tunnel for her and it’s just unbelievable.”

Brooke and her twin sister were born three months’ premature and, after surviving early birth complications, Brooke was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was two years old. She suffers from spastic diplegia which means the muscles in both legs are extremely tight, causing her to walk on tiptoes. Her balance is poor and she is prone to falling.

The couple also have a two-year-old son, Ben, who is profoundly deaf. Mrs Ramsay said Brooke was scheduled to travel to Bristol on 11 May for assessment and that it was hoped that she could have the operation as early as July.

Graeme Dey, the local MSP who campaigned for the family, said: “I am delighted for Brooke and her family. I know how difficult the time spent waiting on this decision has been for them. It is also good news that the referral criteria is now in place for cases of this nature.”

Selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) is a procedure which eliminates high muscle tone by cutting damaged nerves in the spine leaving the healthy ones to carry the correct signals from the brain to the muscles.

A spokeswoman for NHS Tayside confirmed: “A referral for selective dorsal rhizotomy has now been agreed.”