Six-year-old girl who was told she may never walk defies odds

Six-year-old girl who was told she may never walk defies odds

A six-year-old girl told she may never walk due to a rare condition has achieved her ultimate goal - of walking her little sister in to school on her first day.

Amelia-Rose Walton was born with Level Four Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HST) - a rare, degenerative disorder, characterised by impaired walking due to spasticity and weakness of the legs.

The condition, which mimics the physical features of cerebral palsy, meant Amelia-Rose could only walk with the assistance of a frame, and was mostly restricted to a wheelchair.

But over the course of just six months last year, a fundraising bid by Amelia's family raised a whopping £100,000 - to get Amelia to the USA for pioneering surgery to improve her muscle stiffness.