The date has been set for an Angus girl to go through what could be a life-changing operation.
Niamh Horton, 8, who suffers from cerebral palsy, is set to have SDR treatment on July 12 at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.
The Strathmore Primary pupil will become one of only a handful of children in the UK to have been selected to undergo the surgery, which could radically improve her mobility.
Dad Graham said: “Now that we have a date for the operation, we are really excited and a little bit nervous.
“The good thing is Niamh is taking it in her stride. When she was told we had a date, the first thing she asked was: can we have breakfast in the cafe in London again?
“We have a half-day assessment at the end of June at Gosh. Then we are back down on July 11 with the operation the next day.
“We would like to thank all our fundraisers, sponsors and everyone else who has helped us to get to this point.”
Niamh is only the child to be funded by the NHS for the operation and will be the first to have the SDR operation done in the hospital.
Her family, friends and school pals, as well as a few kind strangers, have been fundraising across Tayside for months now to help boost the reserves, which will be needed to provide Niamh with vital after-care services.
The family have also set up a Facebook account where anybody looking for updates on Niamh’s progress can log on and see pictures, as well as donate to the fundraising.
Niamh’s mum Michelle said: “It’s all very exciting but very nerve-wracking too.
“There are also five prison officers from Castle Huntly who are walking the East Highland Way for Niamh this week, which will finish with a climb up Ben Nevis.”
Visit www.facebook.com/niamhsdream.