Shropshire Star

Sienna steps out against the odds

Just a year ago, this little girl was unable to walk.

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But thanks to fundraising and intense therapy, seven-year-old Sienna Maiden-Cannon has been able to find her feet.

Now her mother Gia is holding a further fundraising event to help little Sienna continue her progress.

Sienna, who lives with her mother in Admaston, Telford, was born with global physical and mental development delay, which means she is unable to talk and has difficulty in her everyday life.

Doctors told her she would never be able to walk - but she can now walk aided.

Gia held a fundraiser last August so Sienna could undergo the three-week treatment with the Oxford-based charity Footsteps. It uses pioneering therapy, developed in Poland, which has shown marked results in children with challenging development-related conditions.

Ms Cannon said: "My little girl was born with disabilities.

"She was in a wheelchair and I did a fundraiser last year to get in to a project called Footsteps.

"August last year was her first treatment and within three months she was able to walk aided. But it is ongoing treatment.

"We're going to be doing it yearly and hope to raise enough from this fundraiser for two treatments in 2015.

"Last year we did so well we raised enough to fund two treatments, even though we were only aiming for one."

Thanks to the fundraiser, which was called Footsteps for Sienna, she is now able to have two more three-week courses at the Footsteps programme. The courses can run into thousands of pounds.

Global developmental delay affects babies and toddlers ability to sit up, crawl and walk and can also result in poor social skills and communication difficulties.

It can be caused by a number of problems, ranging from genetic to being born prematurely or through suffering a childhood injury. Sometimes the cause is never known.

The next fundraising event for Sienna will be held on August 9 from 2pm to 5pm at Admaston House, Admaston. All are welcome.

Gia is now looking forward to what the future may hold for her daughter.

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