Daisy reaches for floor
FAMILY SEEK FUNDS FOR OPERATIONS
A BELMONT family is desperate to help their young daughter walk with both feet on the ground for the first time.
Nine-year-old Daisy Lambert was born with a genetic condition leaving her with a significantly shorter right leg and no hip.
Daisy’s right leg is 17cm shorter than her left leg.
The condition, congenital femoral deficiency, causes the affected femur to be shorter and significantly slower growing than her other side.
Because Daisy has no hip, her femur telescopes into her pelvis and as she grows and gains weight the bone is under increased pressure causing her greater pain.
Australian doctors told parents Allan and Robyn Lambert the only treatment for their daughter’s condition was to amputate her leg.
But, desperate to give their vivacious, clever and determined daughter the best chance in life, the Lamberts looked abroad for help.
They soon found Floridabased orthopaedic surgeon Dror Paley, who said Daisy was the “perfect candidate” for a femur lengthening surgery that, if successful, would ensure both her feet would touch the ground by the time she was 16.
It is expected the process will include four complex operations.
In 2014 — aged only four — Daisy had her first operation, which lengthened her femur until it was only 2cm shorter than her left leg.
But over the past six years as she has grown, her right leg has not kept up.
The primary school pupil is now more than three years overdue for her second operation.
But, with treatment costing up to $250,000 plus the living costs for the eightmonth US-based rehabilitation, the Lamberts are in need of financial support for this treatment and subsequent operations.
“She’s very active now and we only see even better things for her — that’s every parent’s wish,” Mrs Lambert said
The Lamberts say they are still distraught that Australia is one of the few countries in the world that does not provide support for this type of surgery and have banded with 15 other CFD-affected families to campaign for research into bone lengthening options.
Mrs Lambert said, while Daisy’s surgeries will cost $1 million, it is significantly less than the up to $3 million she estimates her daughter would need in NDIS support if her leg was amputated. ated.
Daisy rock-climbs, mbs, swims and loves school.
“We just want Daisy to live a normal, indepenependent life,” she said. .
To fund the opperations, the fam- ily has created an n online campaign and is also seeking g corporate sponnsors.
To support the family visit gofund me.com/f/ga9stg-both-feet-feeton-the-ground