Sam’s wish to walk less than a week away

On Thursday, Sam, who has cerebral palsy, is set to have a life-changing operation that would help his muscles move more freely and eventually help him to walk independently.

His mother, Karen Bottomley, paid tribute to her son’s bravery, and said Sam is not feeling the nerves.

“Sam is up for the challenge,” she said. “We have told him he will be having a long sleep and his legs won’t be as wobbly when he wakes up.

“He may be more nervous on the day, but right now he is taking each day as it comes.

“The rest of the family is nervous about the operation, but this is what we have been working towards, so we are keen to see the results.”

The Sam’s Wish to Walk Campaign smashed its original total of £35,000 which was needed to pay for the operation and his parents plan to use the extra cash for two years of intense physiotherapy, which they hope will help Sam walk independently.

Mrs Bottomley added: “We want to thank everybody who took part in Sam’s Wish to Walk events.

“We have had so much support, we have had a couple of donations from Australia, so we have reached people far and wide.”

“When we started we honestly thought that at this point we would still be trying to hit the £35,000 total, so to get to more than £50,000 is just incredible.”

Karen said the family would continue to give updates on Sam’s progress on the Sam’s Wish to Walk Facebook page.