Carnoustie girl Brooke Ramsay has taken her first steps a week on from her successful selective dorsal rhizotomy operation to reverse the effects of cerebral palsy.
Brooke started her intensive physiotherapy sessions on Monday and her parents have been left “gobsmacked” by her progress.
After being mostly bedridden last week recovering from the operation, which saw damaged nerves cut from her spine, Brooke was able to get to her feet and walk in her first full physio session.
Brooke’s dad Stewart said Brooke was still getting to grips with new sensations in her body.
He said: “In her first day’s intensive physio Brooke got to her feet and started taking side steps. This is a magnificent achievement for six days post-op.
“She found it strange as her legs feel so different now and some of her muscles still need to be ‘woken up’. She needed a bit of help, but was able to stand still and only holding on to the bar with one hand, so she still has some strength in her legs.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing no one expected her to be at this stage so soon.”
He added that Brooke had been keen to impress the physios in the session and had shown great “determination.”
Footage of her taking steps has been put on the Brooke’s Dream Facebook page.
Stewart continued: “Once her muscles had been ‘wakened’ we were gobsmacked at how well and willingly she moved.”
He continued: “She put so much effort into everything and then after around 30 minutes went from being completely alert to being absolutely shattered in no time at all.
“We were both absolutely over the moon and saw a determination in Brooke that we’ve not seen to this extent before.
“She does need a lot more physio to build her strength up, particularly her left leg and tummy muscles, and she’s still a little sore, but we’re all delighted.”
Brooke will have two sessions of physiotherapy a day at Frenchay Hospital in Bristol until the end of this month, by which point she is expected to be walking freely without assistance.
It will then take another four to six months for Brooke to be able to walk normally without getting tired.
Follow her progress at www.facebook.com/brookesdream