Arabella's Fight To Walk

My name is Arabella Green, I live in Bathgate, Scotland.

This is my story. I am 5 years old.

I have a very rare condition called arthrogryposis, many haven't even heard of this condition.

I have already endured numerous painful operations, they have helped somewhat however, the doctors here in the UK who we have seen so far have given me little help going forward.

They said that I will never be able to walk, they simply will not perform the operation on my legs, they want to just make me as comfortable as possible for the wheelchair which I would be in for the rest of my life, upon hearing this news my Mum, Catherine could not just give up, we then sought help from elsewhere and managed to get a second opinion. From an American doctor named Dr Feldman.

We made contact with Dr Feldman and have since had a consultation from his European medical team, they are located in Warsaw Poland. My Mum and Dad funded this costly trip however, it was well worth the cost. Dr Feldmans team has given me and my family the hope we were so desperate to hear! They told us that after the operations and a 6 week rehabilitation period that I will be able to walk. He has many success stories of helping young children walk and move their limbs more freely all across the Globe.

I accept the fact that I will never be able to run or kick a ball but if I have the chance to join in with other children at the park or even just walk to the shops and gain some independence this would mean the world to me.

The aim of this message to you is to raise the awareness of this ultra rare condition and hopefully reach out to anyone who may be able to help us and raise the money we need to be able to go to Poland to get my operation.

Below is a little note from my Dad.

No matter how hard the last few years have been on my Arabella, she has kept a smile on her face and kept battling every step of the way. Until recently when we were dealt a massive blow, unfortunately Arabella's Mum took her own life, I believe this could have been due to the stress and the lack of support we have been given as a family and the thought of letting her daughter down.

Now I must continue this fight to get my daughter walking not only just for her but also so her mother's efforts were not in vain. Now being a single parent all of the pressure has now fallen onto me, myself and my family just need some good news and need to keep moving forward.

If we were to get help in the UK of course that would be fantastic, if we were to go abroad for the help the costs involved are astronomical with Dr Feldmans operation in Poland costing around €125,000 euros. With the right attention we may even be able to raise this amount of money to go abroad, but you would like to think in the UK there must be a specialist doctor over here?

Of course I cannot afford this cost without fundraising or without anyone's help. Again as mentioned earlier by writing to yourselves, I am hoping we can together raise awareness of the condition and hopefully get Arabella's fight recognised not only locally but nationally and maybe even globally.

Through yourselves I believe we can push this story to really attract the attention we need.

We need to prove a child's dream can become a reality and that one day my daughter will be able to walk, we as a family cannot take no for an answer anymore. We have already been through so much together.

Please if you require any information or any documentation I have regarding Arabella's case please get in touch with me.

Yours Sincerely

William and Arabella Green

x