Big step for girl snubbed by NHS as she jets to US
SHE’S the little girl who was refused NHS funding for an operation that would give her the chance to walk.
But Sophie Thomlinson is beaming because today the three-yearold is off to the US to have the procedure there instead – thanks to Mail readers.
Readers raised £60,000 for the cerebral palsy- sufferer after we revealed she was turned down for Health Service funding at the same Leeds trust which allowed aspiring model Josie Cunningham to have breast enlargement surgery at the taxpayer’s expense.
Even after raising the money, Sophie’s family, from Dukinfield, Manchester, were told UK doctors would not operate on her because she was ‘not disabled enough yet’. But US doctor Tae Park, who pioneered the procedure, said the toddler was an ‘ideal candidate’, and he is confident she will be able to walk within months of surgery.
She will have the four-hour oper- ation at St Louis Children’s Hospital, in Missouri, on Tuesday.
Sophie’s mother Allison, 41, a nurse, said: ‘We want to give our grateful thanks to everyone who has donated. Sophie understands what is happening and knows she is going on a plane to see a doctor who will “fix her legs”. She is so excited.’
Sophie suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which means she has only ever been able to shuffle around on her knees and more recently take a few small steps.
The selective dorsal rhizotomy procedure will involve surgeons cutting nerves in her spine to improve movement in her leg muscles.
The family are still trying to raise a further £15,000 to fund intensive physiotherapy when Sophie returns. To donate, visit: justgiving.com/sophies-tiny-steps