‘A dream come true’: Peterborough schoolgirl’s life-changing surgery ‘imminent’

The family of Peterborough school girl Grace Bucknell-Smith has revealed the specialist private surgery their daughter needs to improve her mobility is ‘imminent.’

10-year-old Grace has won hearts – and generous support – from across the region since her family started the ‘Go Grace Go’ fundraising campaign to pay for the life-changing surgery last year.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, Grace’s mum Jo Bucknell-Smith confirmed the good news:

“Her operation is imminent,” she said.

Grace has KIF1a and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP), two rare and incurable neurodegenerative progressive diseases which impair her movement.

At present, the smiley youngster relies on a Kaye frame and wheelchair to assist with her mobility

Last year, Grace’s family learned of a specialist private surgery which could help improve her movement.

However, as the specialist procedure at Liverpool’s Alder Hey Children’s Hospital is not available on the NHS, the family were left with no option but to start a JustGiving page and trust in the goodwill of others.

Happily, the good people of Peterborough and beyond were only too happy to help.

“We were told we would be looking at least two years to get the funds together,” Jo recalls.

“We never realised we’d come so far, so quickly.”

Thanks to the generous donations of individuals, communities, companies and organisations, Grace’s family has managed to fundraise a staggering £18,809 in just over six months.

“It’s a dream come true,” Jo shared.

“We’re lucky to have [had] such good support.”

‘We need to keep it going’

While the family is understandably excited about Grace’s upcoming surgery, Jo is forcing herself to consider the bigger picture.

“Having the operation is only part of the journey,” she acknowledges.

Grace will need to have intense physiotherapy following her operation. While she will receive two sessions a day at Alder Hey, that will drop down to just one session per term if the family relies solely on the NHS.

“She needs to continue with intensive physio” Jo insists, “otherwise it will fall back down”.

Inevitably, this level of non-NHS funded aftercare does not come cheap.

Just one hour of intense physiotherapy session with a paediatric neurology physio costs £100.

It is for this reason that the family has extended the fundraising target of the JustGiving page.

“We need to keep it going for as long as possible and make this operation worth its money,” Jo explained.

The Lions Club, a local branch of Lions International with a mission to help ‘less fortunate people within the Peterborough area’, is among those keen to help the family provide decent aftercare for Grace:

“They’ve done amazing, raising £22,000 for the operation,” said Lions Club treasurer, David Pope.

“So we wanted to support them with some of the rehab and physio.”

The benevolent club raised over £1,000 in less than five weeks for the ‘Go Grace Go’ campaign, with £400 pounds coming via donations and over £600 raised from a fun day at Maharani’s restaurant in Hampton.

“They did really well for us,” said an exceedingly grateful Jo. “We’re really happy with that; bless ‘em.”Anyone who would like to follow Grace’s progress can do so via the ‘Go Grace Go’ Facebook page.

Donations of all kinds can be made by visiting www.justgiving.com/campaign/gogracego