IT HAS taken nearly two years, more than £50,000 and an immeasurable amount of determination, but seven-year-old Honey Lock has finally taken her first unaided steps.
Her family had feared that the Burnham youngster, who suffers from cerebral palsy, would be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
But following a life-changing operation in the US, Honey has taken her first tentative steps without crutches or support – and much of it is thanks to the community who have backed her all the way.
"We were just at home one morning getting ready for school. I had turned away for a minute and when I turned back she had let go of the rail bars and was walking towards me asking me to look at her. I was just blown away," said mum Rebecca, who continues to campaign tirelessly for her daughter.
"This is the start of her new journey; our plan is that she'll be walking without help all the time at some point in the future.
"It's really thanks to the support of everybody in the community, we wouldn't be here without it – it's amazing to think what people have done to help our little girl."
Honey, a pupil at Cold Norton Primary School, had grown up unable to either walk or see properly until her mother heard of selective dorsal rhizotomy therapy, a surgical procedure that reduces tightness in the muscles but which – at the time – was only available in the US at a cost of around £50,000.
Determined that their daughter has access to the treatment, Honey's parents began fundraising. In late 2011 they flew to St Louis Hospital, Missouri, for the first time, followed by a second visit last year in which the seven-year-old underwent laser eye surgery.
"The work on her vision was really the turning point for Honey," said Mrs Lock, who also has a three-year-old daughter called Summer.
"It was the thing really holding her back and since then she has come on in leaps and bounds. She's able to try new things, and enjoy experiences she never could before – it's like stepping into a new world."
Honey is now working with specialist physiotherapists to improve her mobility and the family continue to fundraise to help meet the high costs of her condition.
"Just as an example of the costs involved she wears ankle bracelets for support which cost around £1,000 each and need replacing each time she grows a little," said Mrs Lock.
The family, who live in Dragons Close, joined other UK families in a similar position to successfully lobby Parliament for the introduction of the life-changing surgery in this country.
Mrs Lock said: "It's now been introduced in certain areas as a result of our campaigning though it remains a bit of a postcode lottery.
"I believe this opportunity should be there for all children with the condition to give them the chance of a better life – just like Honey."
