Abigail featured in BBC1 West documentary

Abigail Newton Smith of Bradley Stoke

Abigail Newton Smith, the cerebral palsy sufferer from Bradley Stoke who is about to travel to the USA for a life-changing operation, was featured on  BBC1’s Inside Out West programme last night (Monday 29th).

Nine-year-old Abigail, who attends Bowsland Green Primary School, is due to undergo the selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR) operation at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital on 16th December.

The Footsteps 4 Abigail appeal, which has been running since the Summer, has raised £36,000 to pay for her surgery, which is not currently available on the NHS.

Abigails’s Mum, Carrie, told The Journal:

“The last six months have been tough with so many weekends spent doing numerous fundraising events and when we weren’t physically at them we were planning for the next event.”

“Trying to maintain some degree of family life during such a stressful and emotional time has been a challenge, but we have been committed and are passionate about changing Abigail’s future.”

“She doesn’t want to spend her life in a wheelchair and have the doom of surgeries ahead of her. Abigail has always been a fighter and wants the best she can from life. She wants to be as independent as she possibly can.”

Bradley Stoke Showbiz fundraiser

Viewers of last night’s programme heard Abigail say she was nervous about the operation but that she looked forward to being able to move about independently and play more with her friends.

The final fundraisng event in the Footsteps 4 Abigail campaign, a Showbiz spectacular, is being held this Saturday (4th December) at Bradley Stoke Community School, from 7pm to 8:30pm. All monies raised will go towards Abigail’s aftercare. Tickets (£4/£3) are available on the door.

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