"She’s my little fighter": NHS worker's battle to help her three-year-old walk for the first time
03.03.2022 - 09:45
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
An NHS worker whose little girl has spina bifida is trying to raise £12,000 in the hope that the three-year-old - who is paralysed from the waist down - will finally be able to take her first steps.
Natalie Halson, 32, from Manchester, is trying to raise funds to send her daughter, Mirabelle, to Florida for specialist therapy - including wearing a state of the art TheraSuit to correct her body's alignment.
Natalie’s unborn baby was diagnosed with spina bifida at a 22 week scan.
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According to the NHS, the condition means a baby's spine and spinal cord does not develop properly in the womb, causing a gap in the spine.
Determined to give her little girl a fighting chance, Natalie continued with the pregnancy, travelling from Manchester to London's Great Ormond Street Hospital every three weeks for a special ultrasound.
Now she is optimistic the four-week intensive therapy programme in the US will help Mirabelle beaat the odds.
Natalie, who was warned before her little girl was born that the tot would never walk, said: “This will be a dream come true for us. She’s perfect just the way she is, but walking will give her a better chance at independence in life.
“Medics had such low expectations for Mirabelle’s life when I was pregnant, in fact, that after her diagnosis I was offered an abortion 10 times before I gave birth.”
A 22-week scan first brought Mirabelle's condition to light.
Natalie said said: “It was flagged during the ultrasound that she had spina bifida. At first, I was sent away and told I’d be able to see a specialist in a week’s time.
“At that point, I was also told I had the option of abortion which was just completely