Couple launch campaign to pay for life-changing operation for daughter

By Jenny Barwise

Last updated at 10:30, Sunday, 13 July 2014

A desperate couple have launched a 25,000 fundraising campaign to pay for a life-changing operation for their little girl.

Nicola Pears with Isabelle

Nicola and Lee Pears of Workington were given the heartbreaking news that their daughter, Isabelle, suffered from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, nearly three years ago.

The condition results in Isabelle, now five, having an extreme tightness in her legs, which leaves her walking on her toes and with a swing in her step.

The youngster, who wears splints throughout the day and leg gaits at night, has been through painful rounds of botox, extreme physiotherapy and has her legs in plaster casts for weeks at a time to try to help the problem.

But these have had little effect on Isabelle and her family say her condition is now at its worst and fear she could end up in a wheelchair.

All her family mum, dad and older brothers Cain and Ryan want her to have a better quality of life and they believe they have found the solution but it will cost them 25,000.

Isabelle can have a potentially life-changing operation at Leeds General Hospital, which would cut the spinal nerves causing the spasticity to relax the tightness, but it is not routinely funded by the NHS.

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Couple launch campaign to pay for life-changing operation for daughter