A 12-year-old Chatham girl has the chance to walk without braces on her legs, she just needs some help to get there.
That's because Amealea Winstone has cerebral palsy.
"Amealea has a bright, bubbly personality," says her mother, Hope Winstone. "She's very smart, strong, independent and determined."
Winstone says the leg braces Amealea has right now are very bulky, which means all of her clothes and shoes have to fit according to the brace. In an effort to help her daughter, Winstone has signed Amealea up for a 30-day trial using a machine called Bioness.
The machine connects Amealea's brain to the nerves in her leg, giving her the ability to walk without a brace.
"With the Bioness it shocks the nerve and it basically tells the nerve to flex the foot up so she can walk," says Winstone.
She says they started treatment on Amealea's right leg earlier this month, and so far, it's been working great, but it's expensive.
Winstone says the treatment is about $7,000 per leg.
"We're doing one leg right now for the trial on the worst leg," says Winstone.
In order to buy the machine that will help both of Amealea's legs Winstone (along with family members) have created a GoFundMe page and are organizing a fundraiser at the Dresden Arena on September 30.
"We're doing the all you can eat spaghetti, meatballs, garlic bread, and salad dinner, as well as the quarter auction," says Winstone.
She adds that doors will open at 4pm for the dinner and at 7pm for the auction.
More information can be found on the Facebook page, Amealea's Amazing Adventure.
