A wheelchair-bound four-year-old girl was given life-changing surgery after two lottery winners stepped in to help cover the costs.
Skye Swinton suffers from spastic diplegic cerebral palsy and had always dreamed of running and playing like other children but was often unable to do so.
Her local NHS trust in Cheltenham, Gloucester, refused to fund the £40,000 spinal operation – meaning that mum Ruth, 39, began fundraising independently.
She wrote to Chris and Colin Weir a couple who acooped the larget lottery jackpot in British hostry 2011 to ask for some help following their £161million EuroMillions win.
The newly-wealthy couple, who live in North Ayrshire in Scotland, agreed to donate, much to the surprise of Ruth.
Family and friends had already managed to raise £12,000 towards the operation, so the Weirs gifted £28,000 for the difference.
Following the four-hour surgery at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, mum Ruth said: ‘Now she is walking properly with the help of a tripod and she is getting stronger all the time.
‘We hope within a couple of months she will be able to walk unaided. Certainly in the long term the operation will have a big impact on improving her quality of life.
‘Skye is in very positive spirits too which is wonderful to see.’
Thanks to the generosity of the Weirs, Skye, whose full-time carer is her mother, is now making great progress.
A statement from the lottery-winning couple said: ‘Skye faces many challenges in the next year and she needs her mum and dad to be focused on her.
‘That’s why we’ve given a donation. Without the additional worry and pressure of fundraising, their time can be spent on Skye.’
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