Wisbech girl Hope’s Christmas wish for a bionic arm has come true – with her journey starting tomorrow
A community has helped make a young Wisbech girl's wish come true thanks to a massive fundraising effort.
Hope Weston, 10, was born without her lower left arm because of a complication in the womb and has longed for a bionic arm.
After lots of tireless fundraising by friends, family, and others, £21,408.23 has been raised which will pay for the bionic arm and the hospital trip for Hope and her mum.
Hope will be starting her journey tomorrow with two appointments at a hospital in Bristol for a fitting and an assessment.
Every year Hope, who is the eldest of Emma Weston's three daughters, has asked Father Christmas for a new arm, but with one unavailable on the NHS and costing at least £15,000, the family could not afford it.
A conversation at a bingo session back in 2019 with family friend and community fundraiser Betty Cunningham about how Hope no longer believed in Father Christmas because she had been asking for a new arm "for ages" without getting one, spurred Betty into action.
Ever since, Betty has been busy fundraising for the arm, which costs £19,999 to be able to make the 10-year-old's dream a reality.
Betty said: “I can not thank you all enough, when our community needs to pull together we always do.”