A FAMILY’S campaign to get their disabled son the life-changing operation he needs to walk for the first time has past the £20,000 mark.

But five-year-old Camren Haines, from Kidlington, still needs just over £40,000 to get him pioneering surgery in America after being born with Spastic Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy.

The condition severely limits the youngster’s mobility and he has to use a wheelchair, but he still dreams of one day becoming a fireman.

Now mum Sophie, 29, and dad Terry, 35, are aiming to smash the £65,000 mark to potentially make that dream a reality, despite being told their son would never walk.

Mrs Haines said: “We ultimately just want Camren to have the best quality of life possible. When the doctor told us he would be in wheelchair for life, it was just such a blow.

“Camren was born at 26-weeks and consequently spent four months in the John Radcliffe Hospital. After 12 months he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

“To begin with I was told there wasn’t anything that could be done. It was not until I spoke with other parents that I investigated the route of Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) in America.”

Mr and Mrs Haines were told the youngster was not eligible for the operation on the UK as his condition was “too severe”.

The disease means Camren’s limbs are very stiff and tight and can result in muscle spasms often overnight. He can sit independently but cannot be left unsupervised in case of falls.

So far the family, including 11-year-old sister Bethany, has raised £24,000 since June last year towards the life-changing surgery, which would take place at the world-renowned Missouri’s St Louis Children’s Hospital.

It comes as local businesses pledged their commitment to the campaign, named Camren’s Steps, including Mercedes Benz commercial vehicle dealership, Rygor, where Mr Haines works, and most recently Specsavers in Bicester, which has adopted the cause as its charity for 2016.

Specsavers store director Sarah Marshall said: “When we heard about Camren, as a team we knew we wanted to help in any way we could.

“While we know that £65,000 is a large amount of money, we hope that through a series of fundraising activities we hold next year we can help Camren’s mum, Sophie, reach her goal.”

The store is asking customers to donate gifts instead of paying for their sight tests, these will then be raffled off to raise money.

Mrs Haines added: “We are now going at it full throttle –the longer we leave it the less effective his surgery will be.

“The sooner we do it the better and the younger he is the better.

“Nothing ever gets him down, he does not get stressed or cry – the worst thing for him is if he can’t watch his favourite programme, the normal five-year-old woes.

“He has a heart of gold and just wants to be a hero like a fireman or helicopter pilot. But really he is my hero, corny I know but I do mean it – he just takes life as it comes.”

* To donate to Camren’s Steps please see, justgiving.com/Camrens-Steps