Esha Ilyas is a typical bubbly, bright and lively 10 year old girl. She is in all the top groups at school and loves pony riding in her spare time. She is very excited and looking forward to starting secondary school in September 2014.

However, Esha has cerebral palsy, which affects her walking and her balance – she is unable to stand unaided and relies on a frame to walk even short distances. Esha has to wear corrective plaster casts on both legs almost all the time and receives regular injections to ease the pain.

Esha is a strong-willed and determined girl, and she has a dream. Esha’s dream is that she will walk unaided to her new secondary school, play with her friends and participate in all school activities along with everybody else.

Amazingly, there is an operation that, coupled with intensive physiotherapy, would enable Esha’s dream to come true. Known as Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy, this operation is relatively new to the UK but has been carried out in the USA for many years with great success and has transformed the lives of many people. Esha has been recommended and approved for this operation, to take place at Great Ormond Street Hospital in March 2014, but unfortunately the NHS has said that it will not provide the funding.

A small group of people, determined that Esha’s dream will not be shattered, has therefore come together to raise the £36,000 needed for the operation, physiotherapy and after-care. Barking & Dagenham CVS is fully behind this campaign and is acting as fund-holder to verify its legitimacy and enable Gift Aid to be claimed on donations. It is also our intention to establish a charity to raise awareness and support other children similar to Esha, and any money raised over and above what is needed will be put to that end.