LAST year, four-year-old Sophia Aitken had a gruelling operation to remove faulty nerves in her spine.

Her family are now looking forward to her walking without help to open her Christmas presents tomorrow morning.

The Witney youngster was born with spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy which caused her to continuously battle pain and spasms in her legs.

Now, one year on, the toddler is beating all odds, walking unaided and even twirling through ballet classes.

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Mother Tara Harris said: “She is doing amazing, far better than we ever expected her to be doing. It’s completely changed her life and ours.

“She has to work every day just to be able to do the things that everyone else takes for granted. It’s a huge thing for a little child to have to deal with.

“This is going to be one very, very special Christmas because our little girl will be walking into the living room and opening all her presents.”

Sophia flew out to Missouri’s St Louis Children’s Hospital with her mum and dad Andrew Aitken for the three-and-a half-hour operation.

A year later, she is walking without a frame and it is all thanks to more than £70,000 of donations.

The youngster still faces two hours of intensive physiotherapy five days a week, which will continue for at least the next two years.

But she attends Willow Cottage Nursery in Eynsham twice a week and, along with dance classes, enjoys horse riding and swimming lessons.

Miss Harris, who gave up her job as a teaching assistant in Carterton, said she was amazed at how soon Sophia has been able to take part in her new-found hobbies.

She added: “I really am overwhelmed by the improvement she has made. It’s like a miracle.”

But Miss Harris fears Sophia may need another operation to prevent her thighs from rotating when she walks.

She said physiotherapists were unable to correct this aspect of Sophia’s posture but it is not yet known when an operation could take place.

The 43-year-old added: “It’s pretty scary because, like any parent, when your child has had such a serious operation which Sophia did, you don’t ever want to go through it again.

“But we know it can make a difference to the way she walks so we have to battle with these emotions and be strong.”

Miss Harris and 37-year-old engineer Mr Aitken have been engaged for seven years but put their wedding plans on hold to focus on their daughter’s health.

But with Sophia now walking tall, Miss Harris said she hoped plans will begin next year so Sophia can accompany her down the aisle.

She added: “We did not ever believe that we would be doing anything we are now.”

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