BRAVE little trooper Kitty-Boo Cox has moved her own feet for the first time after a major operation to help her walk.

Her mum Claire Winks said without the spinal surgery, eight-year-old Kitty would probably have been in a wheelchair full-time in a few years.

Miss Winks, 37, said: “She woke me up the other morning at 5.30am, to thank me for fixing her body.”

The operation on February 9, which lasted three hours 15 minutes, involved cutting into Kitty’s spine to operate on the nerves in order to relieve the muscle stiffness caused by cerebral palsy.

Kitty, a pupil at Charter School, suffered severe headaches and nausea for the first three days, but is now recovering well.

She is still in Bristol Children’s Hospital but has now moved into the rehab ward and hopes to be able to return home to Barrow Green in Chippenham in a couple of weeks.

“My legs are really loose,” she said. “They were tight before, and now I can put my fingers straight.

“I’m wearing my pink casts so I don’t get a fracture. I’m getting my zebra ones on Thursday.

“I’m still singing, I sang for mummy and I’m going to sing for the nurses before I go.”

She cannot yet stand unaided but is doing well in her twice daily physio sessions and has been able to move her feet for the first time, prompting floods of tears of joy from her mum.

“I cried, I filmed it, I clapped,” said Miss Winks. “It was very emotional, just amazing to see her wiggle her toes for the first time, and bring her feet up.

“She thought I was helping her, but she did it all on her own.

“She’s never been able to wear slippers before because they wouldn’t stay on her feet. It’s made such a huge, massive difference, her whole posture has changed.

“I’ve cried a lot, but they’re happy tears.”

She said the doctors have not made any promises about walking, but Miss Winks said: “I believe she will. Even if it’s with sticks, she will come out of her walker eventually.”

Kitty’s Wish to Walk fund, to fund her physio equipment, has now surpassed £11,333.

Help her to hit its £50,000 target by donating at www.justgiving.com/letsgetkittywalking/