Michael McKenzie, had his right leg stretched by A record 12 inches after he was born with it much shorter than his left

Pinocchio of a different kind

Michael McKenzie, had his right leg stretched byu00a0a record 12 inches after he was born with it much shorter than his left

The amazing youngster has defied medical experts after his mum Ginette (36), launched a stunning
ufffd80,000 (Rs 59 lakh) fundraising drive backed by Beatles legend Paul McCartney and TV star Graham Norton.

Ginette said, "You look for the light at the end of the tunnel and it's a really lovely feeling to finally get there."

She has fought like a demon to make Michael's dream come true after she was warned when he was born that amputation was the only realistic option. Doctors insisted the seriously stunted limb could not be saved.

Ginette, who sold the family home to bankroll the mission, refused to give up hope but was bluntly told by cynical medics that she was chasing rainbows. But now, more than a decade later, the single mum has found her rainbow.

She said the bitter 12-years of struggle, tears and pain had finally proved all worthwhile.

McKenzie said, "His foot was level with his left knee and he had no hip joint and no knee joint. Doctors said they didn't know if he'd be able to stand up, let alone walk."

Ginette wrote to doctors around the world and Michael underwent tests at hospitals in Germany, France and the Ukraine. Eventually, theiru00a0 prayers were heard more than 3,000 miles away in the USA.

Raising money

A doctor in Baltimoreu00a0 answered their desperate SOS.u00a0 "Graham Norton and the girl band Atomic Kitten helped us raise money and Paul McCartney wrote a poem for auction, " said Ginette.

In Michael's first operation the bones in his leg were broken. Ginette had to turn screws herself every day to pull apart the knitting endsu00a0 addingu00a0 a shade under three inches on to his right leg.

u00a0 A second operation, again in Baltimore, added a further three. The family moved to Weston in 2007 and surgeon Fergal Monsell, at Bristol Children's Hospital took up the case.

Monsell has carried out two further operations, including one in April, to extend Michael's leg by an astonishing 12 inches more than any other European patient.

As a result the excited lad is now planning to take his first steps.u00a0u00a0 Michael still faces further surgery to give him a knee joint but plans to be upright and on crutches for his return to School.

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