TWO Stewarton parents are on a mission to raise enough funds to help their daughter.

Little Leah Pattison was diagnosed with hemiplegia – a type of cerebral palsy when she was just six months old.

The condition injured the right side of her brain before she was born and now affects her motor skills on her left side of the body.

The fighting tot is now 18 months old and is eligible to take part in a treatment for her condition in Manchester.

Parents Patricia Melly and Christopher Pattison are fundraising hard to get the £9000 cost of the pioneering CIMT treatment paid for.

Patricia said: “The constraint induced movement therapy works so that Leah would be made to use her left side and not the healthy right side.

“Some of the results have been wonderful and we really think that it is something she will benefit from.

“The treatment would give her a much better quality of life, at the minute she would be unable to do the every day things that we take for granted, like tying shoes, using a knife and fork or tying your hair up in a ponytail.

“We are looking to raise some money because it costs £9000 for four weeks of treatment – it is very intensive, she would be doing three hours of therapy, five times a week.

“There is also the costs of having to live in Manchester for the four weeks so we are trying to do as much as we can for that.

“Leah does have a physiotherapist and occupational therapist from the NHS who are great, but they only see her once a week.

“We are hoping that this therapy might be able to help her over the long term and lead a healthy and happy life.”

To help with the fundraising efforts the family have been doing different events over the past few months.

They had a bottle stall at the Dunlop Gala Day and also took donations at the Des McLean show at the Palace Theatre in Kilmarnock over the weekend.

As part of their efforts they took part in the Colour Run in Glasgow in May, and Leah’s dad, Christopher will be taking part in a 10k event on June 18.

Leah’s plight has also got it’s own Crowdfunding page, and together with the other fundraising events the family have raised just over £5000.

Patricia said: “We have a consultation with the team again on Friday and we are hoping to do her treatment in September.

“Leah is a beautiful happy little girl who brings a lot of joy to everyone around her and she deserves this opportunity more than anyone.

“It is very hard for us to ask this but If anyone can help raise funds for our little girl it would be greatly appreciated.”

Donations can be made to Leah’s treatment at: http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/LeahPattisonCerebralPalsyTherapy.