Family's fundraising fight to save Brighton girl's leg

A Brighton mum has launched a crowdfunding campaign in a desperate bid to raise funds for surgery to save her daughter's leg.
Kyra Warrell, six with her prosthetic which helps her to walkKyra Warrell, six with her prosthetic which helps her to walk
Kyra Warrell, six with her prosthetic which helps her to walk

Kyra Warrell, aged six, from Westdene, was born with a rare condition called Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency (PFFD), which means her left leg is deformed and will not grow properly.

Mum Rima Warrell, 39, said surgery that would lengthen Kyra’s leg is available, but only at a specialist, overseas clinic.

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Doctors in the UK have so far offered only to amputate her leg, so that she can wear a prosthetic limb more easily, Rima said.

Mum Rima with KyraMum Rima with Kyra
Mum Rima with Kyra

The family needs to raise £58,000 so Kyra can fly to Haifa, Israel, where she’ll be operated on by world-renowned orthopaedic surgeons from the Paley Institute, Florida. It’ll be the first of a number of operations Kyra will need, up until the age of 16.

Rima said: “We are working longer hours and are putting all our savings into this. We’ll max out our credit cards and, if we have to, we’ll sell our house. This operation absolutely has to happen. The alternative is a lifetime of disability.

"We're hoping that, by getting the word out, generous people will donate to Kyra's fund and help us raise the £58,000 we need for her first operation in February.

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“Our dream is that Kyra can walk with both feet on the floor. This dream would be permanently taken away if her leg was amputated. And, as an amputee, Kyra would face a lifetime of physical difficulties."

Kyra's prosthetics over the yearsKyra's prosthetics over the years
Kyra's prosthetics over the years

PFFD affects fewer than 1 in 50,000 children in the world.

Rima said: “Although the NHS does lengthen legs for those with PFFD, several orthopaedic surgeons have told us it's too difficult for the NHS to treat Kyra's leg by lengthening, due to the severity of her case.

“That's why she needs to be treated by the world's best surgeon. He has the experience, technology and the team behind him.”

Kyra lives with her mum Rima, an event manager, dad Neil, 45, an NHS project manager, and sister Mia, age four, and goes to Westdene Primary School, She has a deformed hip, a shortened left thigh and an unstable knee and ankle. She has to wear a bulky and heavy prosthetic to help her walk, leading to pain and secondary medical problems.

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But Rima says young Kyra is determined to live life to the full.

"Kyra is bright, joyful and mischievous. Like any other little girl her age, she loves playing energetically with her friends,” said Rima.

"Kyra loves ballet, but her prosthetic stops her from really getting involved. She has also tried football for junior amputees with Brighton and Hove Albion, but she feels slow and her real foot gets in the way if she kicks the ball.”

As Kyra gets older, the deformity will become more pronounced, meaning that her prosthetic will be more difficult to manage, Rima said, leading to complications with Kyra's hips and spine. The only option available in the UK is for Kyra's leg to be amputated above the knee, in order to get a better-fitting prosthetic.

More than £10,000 has already been raised for Kyra, but the family has just under two months to hit its £58,000 target.

To find out more, and to donate to Kyra's fund, visit: tinyurl.com/stepwithkyra

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