A nine-year-old boy with Cerebral Palsy is recovering well from the £45,000 operation which should change his life.

Ben Smithson has undergone pioneering surgery at the St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri, US, at the end of a remarkable seven months of fundraising.

And if the surgery and rehabilitation proves successful, the football-mad Ilkley youngster could soon be able to walk unaided.

Last night, Ben’s mother Charlotte said she was proud of her “brave” boy.

“Ben has been so brave he’s managing to sleep and his pain is under control,” Mrs Smithson said.

But she admitted it had been a long night after the major surgery and she still has her fingers crossed as Ben recovers, although Dr Park, who carried out the operation, said it had gone very well.

Ben’s story came to prominence last June when his parents revealed they needed £45,000 to pay for the surgery by Dr Park, who specialises in paediatric neurosurgery and treating children with Cerebral Palsy.

A staggering fundraising effort followed, with the target smashed allowing the Smithson family to also pay for a follow-up operation.

The extra money will also help to provide more rehabilitation work in America and at home when Ben and his family return.

The procedure Ben underwent is known as Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) and is a specialism of Dr Park, 64.

If completely successful, the groundbreaking procedure means Dr Park has isolated the nerves, which are not working properly, and put them out of action meaning the only information sent to Ben’s muscles through the spinal cord is correct. To find out the latest on Ben’s operation and his rehabilitation, go to benswishtowalk.co.uk