Thank you for visiting our page. 20 staff at Leytonstone School are taking part in a 12 hour '3 peaks challenge' hike over the weekend of 27th October 2012 in order to raise funds for Mahlica Ajaib the daughter of one of our Science teachers who is hoping to have life changing surgery in the U.S. The challenge will see all staff take on a grueling hike to cover 3 of the highest peaks in the Yorkshire Dales in just 12 hours from 5.30am - 5.30pm. Unfortunately the surgery isn't available in the UK so this is her only option. Mahlica is a beautiful 7 year old girl from London. She likes the same things as all little girls but she is different in one way – she has a medical condition meaning she can't walk, she is in constant pain and is deteriorating rapidly.

When Mahlica was born prematurely with her twin sister, she weighed just over two Pounds. After 6 weeks, she was able to breathe without ventilators.

At 13 months Mahlica was diagnosed with a condition called Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. This means she is not able to walk and has to move around in a wheel chair. This also affects her fine motor skills, meaning everyday tasks such as fastening a button are too difficult.

During the day, Mahlica wears splints on her legs to make sure that her feet are kept in the correct position. The splints help to keep her feet flat on the floor. However, she still has problems as her legs cross over when she tries to stand meaning she is incapable of standing up.

During the night, she has to wear gaiters which prevent her from bending her legs, so that her muscles do not become too tight. The poor little mite finds this very painful and cannot always tolerate the pain of wearing them all night. She needs daily physiotherapy to prevent her muscles from becoming too tight and shortening.

Mahlica is a very bright and intelligent child and she goes to a mainstream school, where she has a Special Needs Assistant to help her overcome her physical difficulties. She enjoys school but has difficulty with writing and cannot do what the other children do for Physical Education (PE). She feels sad when she cannot play games like other children, and really wishes that she could join them.

Since being diagnosed with Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, Mahlica has undergone numerous procedures which involve having Botox injections in her leg muscles to ease the stiffness. However, this has only worked on a temporary basis. Her muscles have become progressively tighter and tighter. Mahlica’s doctor has said this previous treatment will no longer work for her.


However, there is a Specialist Children Hospital in St Louis, where doctors have helped many children with a similar condition to Mahlica. The treatment is called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR). If we can raise the money, Mahlica will undergo two operations. The first is SDR and the second will involve lengthening her hamstrings. I hope we can help raise as much as possible towards our target so we can get her to America for this surgery.Imagine the smile on her sweet face when she is able to stand tall and walk around and play with her twin sister. Please donate generously. Every little helps towards a huge target. Please feel free to check out the specialist treatment needed on the link http://www.stlouischildrens.org/our-services/center-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr