A GIRL who couldn’t walk for two years has taken her first steps with the help of custom-made casts.
Toni-Jo Nie, from Burnham, suffers from Ataxia-Telangectasia syndrome, which causes problems with walking, balance and hand coordination due to nerve disturbances.
She was left wheelchair-bound throughout most of the Covid pandemic, but in May this year underwent surgery at Broomfield Hospital to correct a problem with her feet.
The nine-year-old chose unicorn casts to help get her back walking again, which she had to wear for several months.
Tina-Jo’s mum, Anna, praised her daughter’s consultant and the eye-catching casts.
Anna said: "It was humbling to meet Pranai Buddhdev, Toni-Jo’s consultant paediatric orthopaedic surgeon.
"He is just passionate about what he does and took the time to explain the surgery in a clear way to her.
"It’s brilliant Toni-Jo is walking again. Everyone was fascinated by the casts, she absolutely adored the unicorn theme casts and loved showing them off to her school friends."
The custom-made casts have been taken off and Toni-Jo now uses a walking frame to help her move around.
Pranai Buddhdev said: "Having a playful aspect to children’s recovery is important and shouldn’t be ignored.
"The team took great joy and pride in creating these special custom casts for Toni-Jo, there was nothing better than seeing the smile on her face when she was first shown them."
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