Girl with cerebral palsy denied operation to let her walk at same NHS trust that gave a model breast enlargement using taxpayer's cash

Sophie has type of cerebral palsy which means she can't use her legs

An operation on her spinal cord would enable her to take her first steps

Deemed to expensive - and her parents are trying to raise £25,000 needed

Was referred to Leeds General Infirmary which specialises in procedure



Hospital is part of of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Aspiring glamour model given breast implants at same NHS Trust last year



Sophie Thomlison: Desperate to take her first steps

A mother has condemned the NHS for refusing to fund surgery which would allow her daughter to walk.

Two-year-old Sophie Thomlinson was born prematurely and has a form of cerebral palsy which means she cannot use her legs.

An operation on her spinal cord would enable her to take her first steps – but health chiefs have decided that it is too expensive. Now her parents are trying to raise the £25,000 needed for her to have the surgery privately.

Sophie, from Dukinfield, Greater Manchester, was referred by local doctors to Leeds General Infirmary, which specialises in the selective dorsal rhizotomy procedure.

But the hospital, part of Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, was denied funding by NHS England – which does not routinely agree to pay for such operations.

Perversely, a 22-year-old aspiring glamour model was given breast enhancement surgery on the NHS last year at another Leeds hospital within the same NHS trust.

Josie Cunningham had her 32A breasts enlarged to a 36DD with taxpayers’ money, after saying her flat chest was ‘ruining her life’.



Her operation came after she was recommended for funding by her local GP. Under NHS guidelines, cosmetic surgery should be funded only in rare circumstances when it is needed ‘to protect a person’s health’.

Sophie’s mother Allison, 40, a former nurse, said: ‘When you think that you can get a boob job or a tummy tuck on the NHS but not something that can help a little girl walk, it really makes me angry and upset. Surely the type of treatments should be prioritised in terms of what is essential.



'When I was told we needed £25,000 for the operation my world came crashing down.

‘It’s ridiculous as £25,000 is a lot of money for a family to try to raise, but if it means Sophie can walk then it is all worth it.’



Family: Sophie with brother Lewis and parents Allison and Craig - who are trying to raise £25,000 for their daughter's operation

Last year, an aspiring model was given breast enhancement surgery at the same NHS Trust which is unable to operate on Sophie, pictured

Josie Cunningham, who hit the headlines when she had her breasts enhanced on the NHS last year

Sophie was born prematurely at 33 weeks and she spent most of the first year of her life in hospital. Her mother noticed that at 18 months old she was ‘bunny hopping’ rather than walking and she was diagnosed with spastic diplegia.

Sufferers of the condition are unable to use their legs as the signals from the brain do not reach the muscles, causing agonising contractions. Sophie has been undergoing painful intensive therapy to strengthen her muscles and spends an hour each day in a frame to help her stand.

Although the ten-hour procedure would allow her to take her first steps, it would take months of further therapy before she could walk freely and unaided.

Mrs Thomlinson has set up an online fundraising page for the operation called Sophie’s Tiny Steps, which has so far raised more than £1,300.

She and her husband Craig, 44, and son Lewis, 13, are raising money with the help of Tree of Hope, a charity that helps families with disabled children.

Mrs Thomlinson said: ‘She is such a bubbly little girl but I get sad when I see her watching her friends from the sidelines and not being able to get involved.

‘She always says to me “mummy walk” and you can see how desperate she is to take those first steps.’

The family is hoping to raise the money before Sophie turns three. Their JustGiving fundraising page reads: ‘Hello, my name is Sophie and I am two years old. I was born premature at 33 weeks and weighed just 3lbs 8oz and I spent most of the first year of my life in hospital.



‘In July 2013 my mummy and daddy were told that I had a condition called spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that means I can’t stand, walk or run like my friends do.

‘I have to do special exercises and use a standing frame for one hour every day which helps my muscles and joints to get stronger.’

NHS England did not respond to requests to comment.