VIDEO: Morecambe woman's £40k bid to walk like her twin sister

A young Morecambe woman is aiming to make her dream of walking unaided '“ just like her twin sister '“ come true.
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Shauney Huntriss has cerebral palsy and is fundraising to pay for life changing selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery.

The 22-year-old, who lives in Westgate, hopes the operation will give her a new lease of life, and allow her to live ‘normally’ like her sister Hollie.

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She currently has to use sticks and a wheelchair to get about, and has not been able to work.

Shauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sisterShauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sister
Shauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sister

Shauney and Hollie were born 11 weeks early, and at four months old she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

“Growing up I had lots operations on my legs to help strengthen them along with physio,” Shauney said.

“It was hard growing up watching my sister go out, playing and running around.

“I couldn’t always keep up and stayed in a lot.

Shauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sisterShauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sister
Shauneys 40k bid to walk like her twin sister

“Unfortunately the operations only helped for a while.

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“Day to day life is a challenge for me as having cerebral palsy makes my muscles tight so I can only walk so far before I get tired and the pain sets in.

“I sometimes struggle sleeping at night as the spasms in my legs can be very painful and keep me awake.

“I can take painkillers but these don’t always work.

“I want to make my dream of walking unaided along side my twin sister a reality and it will make day to day life a lot easier for me.

“Also I will hopefully be able to do more things such as walking for longer so I may able to walk my dog this is a very important goal for me as I get frustrated because I can not walk her so I have to rely on my family.

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“I am willing to do anything it takes to achieve my dream.”

Shauney, who went to Morecambe Road School before doing a health and social care course at Lancaster & Morecambe College, hopes her brighter future will include the chance to earn a living.

“I am hoping with the operation that I will be able to work afterwards because I feel like when I apply for jobs and have to say that I am disabled, it affects my chances,” she said.

“I am sick of being in the house all the time. It’s so frustrating.”

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Shauney learned about the SDR treatment a while ago, but has only recently set up her fundraising page.

“Lately my condition has got worse and I keep falling over which has spurred me on and so I just decided to do something about it,” she said.

“I will be having a consultation in Leeds in the next few weeks, and have been told I sound like a good candidate for the treatment.”

Shauney hopes to organise fundraising events as part of her bid to reach her £40,000 goal.

You can donate to Shauney’s cause at https://www.gofundme.com/56fmxh4 and follow her story on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/walkunaided/