Ben's dream of playing out comes a step closer

It isn't to fly to the moon or meet David Beckham which are the dreams of many nine-year- old boys.

Ben Smithson's dream is to kick a football around with his friends.

Ben, from Ilkley was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was two, which means he cannot walk without the use of sticks, a walking frame and, for long journeys, a wheelchair which he hates.

But Ben's dream could soon become a reality as he has been accepted for pioneering surgery in America in January.

His family need to raise about 45,000 to be able to send him over to the hospital in St Louis, Missouri and with the help of well-wishers, they are already half way to their target within 13 weeks of launching the Ben's Wish to Walk appeal.

"We have been overwhelmed by people's generosity," says mum Charlotte.

"I think people are moved because Ben is such a fighter.

He has always been determined to do as much as he possibly can to help himself and is such a personable little boy; I think people appreciate

that.

"Of course, there are days when he does get down and frustrated about his physical disability, but then he picks himself up and just gets on

with life."

Ben was born 10 weeks early and spent the first nine-and-a-half weeks of his life in Airedale Hospital before being allowed home.

He was a late developer, not sitting up until 11 months and crawling at 18 months, but doctors said it was to be expected because he was so premature.

But by the age of two, doctors revealed that Ben actually had cerebral palsy, probably caused by oxygen starvation to his brain when he was born, and that he may never walk unaided.

"It was a blow," says Charlotte, "especially as I was pregnant with my second son, Jacob, at

the time, but it was also nice to have a diagnosis of what was wrong."

Ben undergoes regular physiotherapy to try to build up strength in his legs and lives life to the full despite his disability; the All Saints Primary School pupil plays wheelchair basketball with the Leeds Spiders team.

However, his one true love is football. It was two years ago that the Smithsons first read an article about the treatment being offered in America for people with cerebral palsy.

After lengthy research and talking to other parents whose children have had the operation, they decided to find out if it would be suitable for Ben.

The surgery involves operating on Ben's spine in a bid to deactivate the nerves that are not working properly, so that Ben's muscles can receive the correct information.

It isn't an overnight cure and the Smithsons and Ben know it will involve a lot of hard work after the operation to enable him to walk properly.

"We told Ben about the operation and asked him if he wanted to go ahead with it. At the end of the day, it has to be something he wants to do. He asked some questions and in the end said 'yes'. We are excited, but also worried about whether it is the right thing for Ben, but we are sure once we are in America our fears will be allayed."

Ben and his parents will fly out to the States on New Year's Day and Ben will have his operation on January 6 and they hope to return on February 3.

"All I want is for Ben to be as independent as possible, to be able to play out without his sticks and walker, and to be able to play football with his friends."

The family have set up a website to help their fundraising efforts and if anyone would like to help, they can visit www.benswishtowalk.co.uk