Dancing on air...boost for blade runner girl
A GIRL of 13 who lost a leg in a bus crash is pursuing her dream of being a dancer thanks to new funding for sports prosthetics.
Pollyanna Hope, also a keen gymnast, had her leg amputated below the knee aged two after she was run over in a horrific crash.
She has been helped by extra cash announced by the Government yesterday to help children who have suffered limb-loss to enjoy sports and activities.
Her mother Sarah, 45, whose campaigning helped to secure the extra funding, told how her family’s life was shattered.
She said: “When Pollyanna was two, my mother came to stay in our house in London and we were on our way to the hospital to visit my twin Victoria, who had just given birth.”
As the three headed into the station, a bus mounted the pavement, killing Sarah’s mum instantly.
“I was trapped under the bus and Pollyanna lost her leg, so it’s been very, very hard,” Sarah added. The bus driver was later jailed for four years for causing death by dangerous driving and grievous bodily harm.
But Pollyanna, who has a brother Barnaby, 17, and sister Sapphire, 15, was still determined to dance.
“Pollyanna has had on average two prosthetic legs a year,” Sarah said.
“She is a dancer. I think she feels a great sense of freedom when she dances.”
After the 2012 Paralympics Pollyanna set her heart on a running blade, but the NHS would only pay for a walking prosthetic.
After shelling out £5,000 for Pollyanna’s first blade, Sarah began a campaign for the NHS to provide them.
In 2016 the Government pledged £1.5million to provide specialist prosthetics for 500 children. Hundreds more are now set to benefit from an extra £1.5million.
Care Minister Caroline Dinenage said: “This additional investment will now help us to open up even more possibilities for children with limb loss – and hopefully ignite in them a lifelong passion for sport.”