IT took four months, numerous events and the help of a celebrity, but six-year-old Emma Clark from Kingsclere has the £30,000 she needs for an operation in the US to help her walk.
Emma has been packing her bags in preparation for a trip to Missouri next month, where she has been accepted for selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery at the St Louis Children’s Hospital.
Her family, who have been behind the fundraising, will be there to support her and were this week overjoyed to have reached their target.
Emma was born with cerebral palsy and her mother Angela said that the effort to help her daughter had been an amazing process, and the family was overwhelmed by the level of support received.
“Everyone should be proud of what they have achieved for Emma, and their investment in her improved future quality of life,” she said.
“From canal walks, football tournaments and horse rides, to swimathons, concerts and individual donations, Emma’s supporters have made her upcoming surgery possible and provided her with the genuine opportunity to reach her full potential. We just cannot thank everybody enough.”
Fundraising started in earnest in March with an eBay auction and a paint-your-own-pot event at Leapfrog Ceramics at Thatcham Garden Centre. Efforts then snowballed as the people from the local community were eager to help.
In April, the Help Emma Walk campaign received a boost when television presenter Jonathan Ross pledged an online donation and posted a note on Twitter urging his friends to do the same.
The family have started a blog at www.helpemmawalk.co.uk so that people can follow Emma’s progress.