Little Horton mum Larelle Ellsworth fundraising to help give her daughter gift of sight

Eighteen-month-old Lamiyah Ellsworth has been blind since birth but her mum, Larelle Ellsworth, is hoping to raise £50,000 for her to undergo groundbreaking stem cell treatment in China, The youngster was diagnosed with the rare brain condition septo-optic dysplasia at three months old.

It means her mid-brain structures are not fully developed and both of her optic nerves are small, resulting in blindness and developmental delays.

Larelle, 22, of Halcyon Way, Little Horton, Bradford, said: “Like many people with children with the same condition, doctors told me there is no cure and I will just have to live with it and try to concentrate on helping Lamiyah deal with the condition in the future.”

However, Larelle refused to give up hope and discovered via the Internet how stem cell treatment in China is helping other children with the same condition see for the first time. She submitted Lamiyah’s medical details and was thrilled when she was accepted for treatment by Beike Biotechnology Co Ltd, which has treatment centres in China.

The controversial procedure, which is not available in the UK, involves injecting stem cells into the spinal canal. It costs £50,000 and will involve Larelle taking her daughter to China for a month. Larelle said: “To actually find out something can be done was overwhelming. My hopes are to try to give my little girl a better life, even if that means her seeing shadows and shapes. Anything will do. I just don’t want her to miss out on most things children can do.

“Yes, £50,000 is a lot of money and I feel a bit daunted, but my baby is my world and I will do anything for her. Me and my family are happy to come up with the funds by doing events to raise it and I just hope that other people can find it in their hearts to help to give Lamiyah something that she might not have otherwise.”

Larelle added: “I just want to be able to achieve my dream of my baby seeing her mummy.”