IT’ S JUST under two weeks until little Maisie Cooper will undergo the operation which her parents hope will change her life.

Born 11 weeks early, the Crosskeys girl who weighed just 2lbs 14oz at birth, has spastic diplegia cerebral palsy – a condition which means her muscles tense up too much and she struggles with simple tasks like sitting up and standing up.

But after a whirlwind year of fundraising by parents Gareth and Hayley Cooper, Maisie is ready to travel to America for the life changing Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) operation, costing £60,000.

The surgery will decrease the tightness in her muscles and could mean with the help of intense physiotherapy, she will be able to walk unaided.

Maisie’s dad plans to film the journey to help other parents considering the operation to know what to expect.

He said: “It is exciting but daunting at the same time. This is a new chapter for Maisie. “We will keep a video diary for us to look back on and it will be good for other parents who are going throughout the same situation to share our experience and get an idea of what it is all about.”

The family will start filming when they leave for St. Louis Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, on January 30.

Maisie will undergo the four-hour operation followed by an intensive series of physiotherapy over three weeks, coming home on March 2.

Mr Cooper said: “We hope it will be an inspiration for any other parent whose child is going through the same thing.”