Secret donor to pay for Doncaster girl's life changing spine surgery

Emily Anderson said that if she learns to walk she wants to ride horses, dance, play football and climb

A secret donor has offered to pay for a four-year-old girl's expensive spinal treatment so she has a greater chance to walk in future.

Emily Anderson, from Doncaster, has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.

Her family had started a crowd-funding appeal to raise £10,000 for private surgery and aftercare, when a local businessman stepped in and offered to pay it all.

Emily's mother, Paula Ratcliffe, said she was "still speechless".

The anonymous donor also offered to pay for a trip to Disneyland once Emily's treatment is over.

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Paula Ratcliffe said she was in "floods of tears with shock and disbelief" when she took the call about the donation

Ms Ratcliffe, from Armthorpe, said: "I got a call out of the blue on Friday with this absolutely amazing offer.

"A local businessman, who wishes to remain anonymous, is offering to completely fund all Emily's surgery, treatment, rehabilitation and after-care, along with any equipment she needs and, amazingly, he's even offering to fund a trip to Disneyland."

Ms Ratcliffe and her partner John Anderson have three other daughters, a 16-year-old, a 12-year-old and a 13-month-old, who has been in Sheffield Children's Hospital since complications at birth.

'Life-changing'

Ms Ratcliffe said brain damage at birth meant Emily could not walk, and the treatment - selective dorsal rhizotomy - would prevent further spinal deformities and give her a greater chance of walking.

The operation involves cutting and repositioning the spinal nerve so Emily can straighten out and have more movement in her legs.

"After surgery, rehab is the main thing," Ms Ratcliffe said. "There needs to be 100% effort in the aftercare or it's not worth the operation."

Four-year-old Emily uses a wheelchair in school but said she is looking forward to "doing the climbing bars and kicking a football" when she can walk

Ms Ratcliffe said: "Emily is a beautiful, bright girl who understands everything and just wants to walk and play normally with her friends.

"But the operation is massively expensive and rarely, if ever, available on the NHS."

She said the donor's offer had left her "in floods of tears with shock and disbelief".

Doncaster and Bassetlaw NHS Trust has been approached for comment.