An eight-year-old girl will fly to America for life-changing surgery tomorrow after a mammoth fundraising effort was highlighted in the Evening Times.
During the last four months Jade Mitchell, who has cerebral palsy, and her family raised £66,047 to pay for the operation.
If the operation is successful, Jade’s dream of being able to walk could come true.
The Evening Times reported earlier this year how movement in Jade’s legs is restricted due to her spastic diplegia cerebral palsy. She often falls and sometimes has to use a wheelchair.
Jade’s first appointment at St Louis Children’s Hospital, Missouri, is on Monday. Surgery is planned for Wednesday or Thursday.
The procedure, which is not available in the UK, will see surgeons expose the spine, pick the nerves one by one and send a current through it to see if there is any signal going to the brain.
Any nerves not working are cut because they stop the functioning ones working.
She will spend the first week in the hospital and then the next four with her mother, Pauline, at a nearby hotel, visiting the hospital for daily check ups.
Pauline says she is starting to get nervous about the trip, but Jade is her usual calm self.
"Now the fundraising has been accomplished I am having to keep my mind occupied," says Pauline. "I still feel we are doing the right thing. I am not worried, just a bit nervous.
"I don’t think the nerves will kick in with Jade until she is there. She is laid back about it. She does not really worry. She is excited because she knows it will be better for her and is willing to put in the work."
The surgery Jade needs has a 100% success rate and around 1900 children have already undergone the procedure in America.
Pauline knows only time will tell if the surgery has been a success and adds: "The way Jade has been walking and holding herself has caused damage to her body. Her calf muscles are too short.
"We are hoping this will completely fix them. But it will depend on how much damage has been done to her body before this surgery.
"But that can’t be assessed until long after the surgery."
Throughout the five weeks in America, Pauline will keep a diary of Jade’s progress and will keep Evening Times readers up to date throughout.
Pauline says: "The Evening Times has helped us get here so we want everyone to know how we are doing.
"The family would like to say a big thank you to the readers and everyone else who has helped raise funds for Jade’s Journey.
"We’ve raised £66,047 and money is still coming in.
"I’m amazed. At the start I never thought for one minute we could even raise the money.
"That we have raised more takes the pressure off. I can’t believe how much everybody has helped. It has been amazing, fantastic."
Money was also raised through bag packing at supermarkets, car boot sales, fun days, bingo nights and sponsored events.
Jade attends St Vincent’s Primary in Greenhills, East Kilbride. She has a four-year-old sister, Erin, and a one-year-old brother, Anthony.
Her dad, Robbie, has to stay in Scotland to look after Erin and Anthony, but might go to America for a visit.
Pauline says: "It would be nice if Robbie could come out and bring Erin. They are really close.
"I think the sisters will struggle without each other for that length of time. So it will be nice for everyone if they can make it out to America."
To follow Jade’s Journey see the website: www.jadesjourney.myevent.com
We want to thank everyone
Another family raising cash to send their son to America for the same life-changing operation has smashed its fundraising target.
Little Kyle Grant, 7, also has the mobility condition cerebral palsy and cannot walk. The same doctor carrying out Jade’s operation said he can also get Kyle on his feet.
Kyle’s parents Leanne and Alan from Shotts in Lanarkshire started raising the £40,000 fee in March – and have collected an incredible £95,000.
Leanne said: “We can’t believe it. There’s not been a club, firm or person in Shotts who has not contributed. We thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts.”
Villagers in Newmains, Allanton, Harthill and Wishaw also helped raise cash, while one of the biggest donations came from Alan’s boss at Miller Homes.
Harry Gaughan, 47, raised £10,500 for the family by running the Mull of Kintyre 10K and joined with Martec Engineering to gather another £9000 at a lunch.
Harry, the firm’s production director, said: “When Alan asked for extended leave to go to the US and said they needed to raise £40,000 I said I’d try to help.
“When I gave the cheque to Alan he thought it was for £1000 – he was gobsmacked.”
Almost 40 of the couples’ family and friends ran the Ignis Asset Management Womens 10K in Glasgow in May to raise more than £10,000.
Leanne, 30, who has another son Kai, now almost a year old, said the rest of the money will pay for the physiotherapy Kyle needs when he returns from America.
The family leave on August 12, five days before the operation.
Leanne said: “Kyle keeps saying “when are we going to America?”
Kyle, who was born 11 weeks early at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, was diagnosed with the condition when he was around a year old. Follow his progress at www.kylesquest.co.uk
