FOR most parents the first day of school for their child is a momentous and emotional occasion, but for the family of little Emmy King, it was an even bigger milestone, as two years ago she faced life confined to a wheelchair.

The four-year-old's parents, Carly and Dave, from Lychpit, feared they may never watch their youngest daughter walk through the school gates, after she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy spastic diplegia aged 20 months, which caused her muscles to be constantly stiff.

But thanks to the kindness and generosity of strangers who donated thousands of pounds to pay for life-changing treatment, Emmy was able to walk into school on her first day like any other normal child last week.

Following her diagnosis, Emmy’s parents set about finding a way to help their daughter walk and raised an incredible £85,000 in less than a year, donated by family, friends and strangers, to take her to America for surgery which was not available on the NHS at the time.

The operation, called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), was performed on Emmy before her second birthday, and since then she has been having intensive physiotherapy to help her to stand independently and walk.

Carly and Dave’s dream was to see Emmy walk into school on her first day with all the other children, as a normal four-year-old.

And two years after her surgery, that dream became a reality as Emmy proudly joined the other youngsters to start her first day at Old Basing Infant School.

Carly, 32, said she smiled her way through the emotional occasion, adding: “When Emmy was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a baby, before I’d even left the consultant’s office, my mind jumped straight forward to this moment. ‘Will she ever walk? Will she be able to go to a mainstream school?’

“Since the day she was diagnosed our entire family has worked tirelessly to make this a reality. One year of epic fundraising and two years of daily, relentless physiotherapy, and here we are. Our dream has come true.”

Carly, a mother-of-two, described Emmy as “our hero and inspiration”, adding: “Emmy is incredible. Whatever we have done to help her along the way, she has done all the hard work. Every day of her life. A more determined little girl you will not find.”

She said she would be forever grateful to everyone who was touched by Emmy’s story and donated to her cause, adding: “Those donations have changed her life and without them she wouldn’t have walked into school, she would have had to use her frame and it would be a completely different story.

"To have the independence to walk into school and not feel any different, that was always our dream and it really has come true, she can start school like all the other children.”

Recalling the moment she watched Emmy walk into school, Carly said it felt “ordinary”, adding: “I had built this moment up in my mind for so long, but it was just the same as when her sister Isla started school. But isn’t that amazing? It was just Emmy starting school.”

She said Emmy had enjoyed her first week, adding: “She’s full of confidence and so sociable and loves making friends.”

And she said Emmy wasn’t aware of the magnitude of the occasion, adding: “She almost can’t remember that she couldn’t walk. We do talk about it and how exciting it is that she’s worked so hard and encourage her that her physio has good results. I think she knows that we are really proud of her, but I think her first day was just like any other child’s first day, she was so happy to be starting school.”