Parents overjoyed as girl takes fist steps after pioneering op

The parents of a five-year-old girl with a form of cerebral palsy, who has taken her first steps after a pioneering operation, spoke today of their joy.

Keira Power was born with spastic quadriplegia which causes increased muscle tone leading to stiffness in her limbs.

Doctors predicted that Keira, of Horndean, Hampshire in England, would never be able to walk independently without a frame.

But her parents, Sally and Jason, raised £50,000 (€59,000) to fund an operation in the United States which helped loosen some of the stiffness.

Now just 10 weeks since the operation, Keira has taken a few steps unaided.

Mrs Power, 39, told the Portsmouth News: “We have both been overwhelmed, we didn’t expect to have made so much progress in such a short time.

“She can now take six or seven very wobbly steps independently. There are signs that with the right work she will be able to build on that.

“Before she could only stand on her own for two or three seconds. So the difference is huge.”

Keira will now be undergoing physiotherapy sessions in the coming months to help her walk.