Boy, 6, with cerebral palsy takes first steps after family raise £50,000 for life-changing surgery in America

Operation involves cutting the nerves in the spine to release the spasticity (tension) in AJs muscles

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 04:08 EST, 18 June 2012 | UPDATED: 04:10 EST, 18 June 2012

A little boy born with cerebral palsy has taken his first steps just days after a life-changing operation in America.

AJ Tighe, from Newton Heath, Manchester, was unable to walk unaided because of his condition but less than three weeks after a pioneering operation in Missouri he has defied the odds by bravely taking his first strides.

Members of the public helped six-year-old AJs family raise the 50,000 needed for the four-hour operation following a 10-month fundraising campaign. His mother Leeanne, who is terrified of heights, even managed a 300ft bungee jump as part of their mission.

Standing tall: AJ Tighe's mother Leeanne said his progress has been remarkable. He recently managed 15 unaided steps

Doctors have said AJs progress since the operation has been remarkable and proud mother Leeanne said watching her son take his first unaided steps had made all the hard work worthwhile.

She said: 'It was an unbelievable moment, it was everything we have dreamed of for so long and something we thought we might never see.

Cerebral is another word for the brain. Palsy means a complete or partial loss of the ability to move a body part. So cerebral palsy means loss of ability to move a body part because of a problem with the brain.

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Boy, 6, with cerebral palsy takes first steps after family raise £50,000 for life-changing surgery in America