Anna's Dream to Dance

This is our beautiful daughter Anna, from Mallow Co, Cork.  She is 7 years old and one of the toughest braviest kids you will ever meet.

Last year at the age of 6years, Anna's life changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with a significant brain injury, Bilateral PVL of the brain which has resulted in Cerebral Palsly ,Spastic Displagia  and Cortical Visual Impairement.

This diagnosis  came as a devasting blow to both Anna and us her parents, It's not something you expect to hear at this late stage, how was it missed for so long?

We were first referred to a  neurologist when  Anna was 3 months old as  Anna failed to meet many milestones, she couldn't sit up, never rolled over, couldn't weight bear and her feet were turning in. We were seen again at 12 months  and told not to worry that she was a lazy baby. 

Even though there was numerous concerns along the way, you trust the doctors.

Anna's daily routine has  changed rapidly. She is now wearing splints  for 10 hours a day takes a break and then into nighttime casts .She relys  on crutches for support and depends on a wheelchair for long distance. Every morning she has to do at least 30-40 minutes of stretches, just to get her out of bed. She is in constant pain, her hip's , her knees and her back ache on a daily basis. Nightly routine involves a bath with a muscle relaxer and then a massage to to try and relax the legs,, the legs  that took so long to wake up this morning.


Cerebral Palsly causes premature ageing of the body and eventually she will lose the ability to walk. While the thought of a wheelchair scares me, it's the pain that she endures on a daily basis, that upsets me most. Some nights  the pain  wakes  her.

Anna is an extremely happy, intelligent strong willed and well loved chatty young girl. She seldom complains  and takes everything in her stride. Her life has changed so much in the past 12 months  and it is breaking my heart.

All she wants to do is play with her friend's, she loves to dance, she loves gymnastics, football  and swimming. She wants  to do everything that her big sister Emma does. One day she dreams of being a dancer or she might be a goalie for her county.  These are her dreams and they are slowly slipping away from her. This will not be possible for Anna as the spasticity is taking over her body.

As her parents  we want to make it all better and will do anything possible. 


Anna has been accepted as an ideal candidate for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) surgery. Dr TS Park and his team are the world leaders in this procedure that involves the identification and severing of the sensory nerves causing spasticity in the lower limbs.

 Without this surgery Anna will lose her mobility , as it is now every day tasks are becoming more difficult , she needs help with toileting, washing and simple every day taks,   she chooses to opt out of every day activities, mostly due to her reduced stamina and increasing pain.. This is alot for a young child to take on and she is deteriorating rapidly.

More detailed information on this procedure can be seen at http://www.stlouischildrens.org/our-services/center-cerebral-palsy-spasticity/about-selective-dorsal-rhizotomy-sdr. 

 We see every day how spasticity holds Anna back, so for us, this surgery and the independence it will offer Anna is the greatest opportunity we could have dreamed of. We know that the surgery coupled with the tailored intensive physical therapy program in the following 2 years  will make our beautiful girl’s wish to dance come true. Our decision to go ahead with SDR surgery has been a difficult one, but we believe that this is the exact step required to give Anna the ability to walk, run and dance on her own two feet.

The biggest challenge for us to make this opportunity a reality is to raise the €100 000 required to cover the cost of the operation, therapy requirements, follow up treatments and travel to and from the US. Fundraising is our best hope of providing Anna with this once in a lifetime opportunity and we need as much help as possible. If you could find it in your heart to help in any way we will be so thankful.

Please help if you can Anna has lost enough time already.

Then Anna's only problem will be whether to be a goalie or a dancer xxx

You can assist in any one of the following ways: Share our link and story (social media/radio/news) Make a donation to Anna’s Go Fund Me page Donate an item for a prize/auction Host an event! For example a coffee morning, corporate lunch, cocktail party or quiz night Attend a hosted event, check back for details! Thank you so much for reading Anna's story XX (If you prefer, the option is available to donate directly to Anna's surgery bank account. Details are as follows... Miss Anna Browne ,Bank of Ireland, Bank Place, Mallow, Co. Cork. IBAN: IE75BOFI90288075473697 BIC: BOFIIE2D