If we had to wait for the treatment... Belle would have suffered irreversible joint damage

THE night Susan Flavin found her little daughter crawling on her elbows across the landing floor pleading for her mammy’s help was the night her mother realised time was of the essence in seeking medical help.

Belle had been an active child up to the age of three but in June 2007 she began experiencing difficulty walking whenever she woke up from a nap.

“She would be stiff and her legs would wobble when she was walking. We would call her Bambi and laugh and we didn’t think anything was wrong,” Susan said.