A FIVE-year-old girl from Dorset has flown back to the USA with her parents for more surgery to keep her walking.

Charlotte Wakefield, who has cerebral palsy, first travelled to St Louis, Missouri, in 2009 to undergo a major operation called selective dorsal rhizotomy, or SDR.

The procedure involves cutting some nerve fibres in the spinal cord to release tension in the muscles, a major cause of deformities in people with cerebral palsy.

The first operation was a huge success, enabling Charlotte to walk on her heels for the first time and join in a range of activities with her friends at Rushcombe First School in Corfe Mullen. But after growing over 10cm, she needed a keyhole operation to release tendons in her heels.

“The bone is growing faster than her muscles, and the muscles are pulling her up on tiptoe,” explained her mother Kim.

“Hopefully this should be it, then it will just be physiotherapy when we’re home.”

Kim is in no doubt that she and her husband Steve did the right thing in taking their daughter away for the SDR. They only have to look at a DVD of Charlotte walking before the operation to remind themselves how far she has come.

“She’s just come home and got better and better each day,” said Kim. “Charlotte never told me she was in pain: she was too young, but older children I have met have said they used to have terrible knee and joint pains.

“Her feet would have just got worse and she would have ended up in a wheelchair. SDR has no side-effects whatsoever. It’s a wonderful operation.”

Kim thanked Daily Echo readers for helping to raise more than £15,000 towards Charlotte’s ongoing treatment.

The Parkstone Trades and Labour Club, gave £4,700.

“It’s wonderful to have such a great local paper. I’ve had many readers contact me with good wishes and even had people give me donations in the street. I’m so grateful.”