A campaign to raise the funds to pay for a life-changing operation for a four-year-old girl with cerebral palsy has hit its £30,000 target.
Bailey Walters-Lawrence, of Gorfield Place, Kilburn, will now be able to undergo Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) following the generosity of donors.
Since the Times highlighted her plight in February, money has poured in through a series of fundraising events and a dedicated donation webpage.
The target was met on Tuesday night with £1,000 being donated in the last 45 minutes.
Bailey’s delighted mother Mel has thanked the community for coming together and helping her daughter to help take her first steps unaided.
She said: “I am overwhelmed by everyone’s efforts for Bailey. This has been a real community effort and when people congratulate me I tell them they should congratulate the community because it was all down to them.
“I thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.
“Bailey can have the surgery now and her life will be changed forever and so many people should be proud of this as they all contributed to this little girls dream.”
The ‘Bailey’s Wish’ campaign was launched with the support of the Times after Ms Walters-Lawrence was told the funding for the procedure was no longer available on the NHS.
The devastating news came after Bailey had been receiving physiotherapy for two years to prepare her limbs for the operation.
Last week, Bailey’s grandmother Carol Walters, 52, shaved her hair to raise money for the cause and other events also added to the coffers including a music night in Kilburn organised by musician Tom Murray and DJ Esther Jones.
However, Ms Walters-Lawrence must now raise a further £15,000 to pay for Bailey’s aftercare which includes thrice-weekly physiotherapy sessions in Bedford costing £70 each.
She said: “I will continue with lots of events to raise the funds for not only Bailey but for all those other children out there in the same situation.”
To make a donation visit justgiving.com/baileyswish.
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