A SECOND Gwent youngster hopes to undergo pioneering treatment in the USA to enable him to walk.

Last week we reported that Blackwood boy Bayli Lippiett, three, will have surgery at St Louis Children’s Hospital, Missouri, on June 21 to treat his quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

This was after Argus readers raised a massive £58,300 to allow Bayli and his family to fly out and for him to undergo a procedure called selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR).

Now the family of Newbridge seven-year-old Curtis Bowditch hope he will be able to fly over to undergo a similar operation to treat his condition – thought to be similar to spastic diplegia, which causes stiff legs.

They have raised £33,387.16p and had hoped that the Ty Isaf Primary School pupil could undergo SDR in Bristol.

Curtis’ mother Rachel Booton said they had their “heart set on this”, with an operation costing around £40,000.

But, she said, they were “gutted” to receive a letter informing them Curtis isn’t suitable for the procedure in Bristol, as his condition doesn’t fit the criteria.

It was thought that he had spastic diplegia caused by cerebral palsy after he was born 15 weeks premature.

However, tests done by the hospital show, in fact, that it could be a similar condition called dystonia.

While tests are ongoing to confirm this, a doctor at the St Louis Children’s Hospital has told the family he believes Curtis is suitable to have the operation there.

The family are now pressing ahead to try and make their revised target of £60,000 to take Curtis to the USA.