A West Lothian dad has vowed to do everything in his power to help his little girl walk as a tribute to her late mum.
Arabella Green was diagnosed with arthrogryposis as a baby, a condition that means she has to use a wheelchair.
And the five-year-old’s world was further turned upside down when her mum Catherine took her own life on in March last year.
Dad William, from Bathgate, is now determined to continue her Catherine’s fight to get Arabella walking and make sure her efforts were not in vain.
Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (AMC) is a rare disease that affects one or more areas of the body before birth.
The joints affected become permanently fixed in a bent or straightened position and it can completely restrict movement.
Catherine was desperate for her daughter to have surgery on her legs in Poland after NHS doctors said last year that there was nothing more they could do for the tot.
After researching the condition online, Catherine found an American doctor with a European medical team in Warsaw who said he could help Arabella.
The young mum then travelled there with her daughter for a consultation in February this year
and was overwhelmed with hope after being told that her child could have a chance of walking after surgery.
Electrician William (35) is now desperately trying to raise cash to fund the operation and travel to Poland in a bid to see Catherine’s dream come true.
He told our sister title The Daily Record : “Catherine had been following a team called AMC kids in America and had found Doctor Feldman.
“His case studies were unbelievable.
“There were children just like Arabella is now and he had managed to help them walk.
“Catherine kept writing and writing to him then after six months she received a reply and got a consultation in Poland.
“I paid for Catherine to take Arabella there.
“They did full X-rays and everything and he told her she could be walking 12 weeks after surgery with six weeks rehabilitation in his clinic.”
But just over a month later, Catherine tragically took her own life. William believes that the financial stress securing Arabella’s treatment, which will cost the family around £125,000 and the thought of letting her daughter down all contributed to her deteriorating mental health.
Now caring for Arabella full-time, William feels it is more important than ever to cling on to the hopes Catherine had for their child and is desperate to raise the money needed to help their daughter walk.
William continued: “Arabella needs as much independence as she can get. She’s not got her mum.
“She’s lost her best pal and had to move house. Her life has just been completely turned upside down.
“She’s even started asking me if she can swap bodies with other people because I’m breaking my back as a dad walking her to the park, just so she can feel the ground on her feet.
“ I need to continue her mum’s legacy. There needs to be surgical intervention for her to have a chance at a normal life.”
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