Brave schoolgirl has surgery to fulfil paralympic dream

Danielle Bradshaw, 11, chose to have the operation after being inspired by British soldiers playing sports using prosthetic limbs.

She was born with developmental dysplasia of both hips and a congenital abnormality of her right knee, which left her reliant on a brace, crutches or a wheelchair.

Danielle has never been able to play sport and, although doctors said they could try other treatments, she chose to undergo major surgery at The Children's Hospital in Sheffield to have her right leg amputated so she can run with a prosthetic limb.

The operation was carried out by surgeon Stan Jones and, to thank him for changing her life, Danielle nominated him for "Professional of 2010" at the OKE (Our Kids' Eyes) awards.

She said: "I will be forever grateful to Dr Jones for performing the surgery, which will one day allow me to run using a prosthetic limb.

"My aim is to represent my country at the Paralympic Games and thanks to Dr Jones that dream might now become a reality."

Danielle's mother and stepfather, Debbie and Darren Quigley, visited the hospital to present Mr Jones with a trophy in recognition of his work.

Mr Quigley said: "Dr Jones is just a fantastic guy who always goes the extra mile.

"Danielle's doing really well since the surgery. She's become so comfortable with walking that when she visited Buckingham Palace recently with St John's Ambulance, she even left her crutches behind."

Mr Jones, who was runner-up at the OKE ceremony, said: "It was a great honour to be nominated for this award, but especially as the nomination was made by one of my patients.

"Danielle is an extremely spirited young lady who has shown great bravery with her decisions.

"We wish her the best of luck for the future and it would be wonderful to see he winning gold medals for Great Britain at the Paralympic Games in years to come."

After training in Sheffield, Mr Jones completed fellowships at hospitals including Great Ormond Street.