A three-year-old girl who suffers from a rare illness has started nursery school as her family continue to fundraise for a life-changing specialised wheelchair.

Sophie Saunders, of Winters Way in Waltham Abbey, is one of just 300 children in the world known to suffer from Ullrich muscular dystrophy.

The illness causes extreme muscle weakness and means that Sophie is confined to a wheelchair.

Her condition has also caused breathing problems and she is not expected to live past the age of 12.

Sophie’s family had originally hoped to raise enough money to buy the £15,000 wheelchair, which will greatly improve Sophie’s mobility, by the time that she started school.

Her mother, Natalie Moss, 25, said: “The new wheelchair will allow Sophie to sit at a desk with her school friends.

“She will also be able to wash her own hands.”

At the moment, Sophie has to sit at a separate desk which is higher than her classmates’ desks and teachers have to lift her to wash her hands.

“It’s all the little silly things really that people wouldn’t have to think twice about,” Miss Moss added.

The family have successfully fundraised between £7,000 and £8,000 in the last four weeks, with the help of the local community.

Recently, three-year-old Sophie served as a Mascot at Harlow football stadium, raising £500 towards her wheelchair fund.

Her family hope to raise the rest of the money within the next eight weeks.

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