Gulshat hip op set for today

From the archive, first published Tuesday 7th Mar 2006.

Gulshat Kadyrova was all smiles as she arrived at Oxford's Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre yesterday (March 6) ready for surgery that will change her life.

A present was awaiting her on the ward -- a cuddly, yellow duck, donated by an Oxford Mail reader.

The six-year-old will undergo a hip operation at the hospital today, after thousands of pounds of donations flooded in following an appeal in the paper.

She has travelled across the world with mother Bahar, 31, for specialist treatment which is not available in their home country of Turkmenistan, in Central Asia.

Gulshat was born without hip sockets, so surgeons will create sockets for her leg bones to 'slot' into, enabling her to walk properly.

Amy Schondelmeyer, a translator staying with the family in Cowley, Oxford, said Gulshat was her "normal, happy self".

She said: "She doesn't understand the risks or the procedure like we do, so I think it's her mother who has all the nerves, but we are very positive about the whole thing.

"Gulshat is already looking forward to feeling better and getting back on her feet."

The operation is costing £15,000 and with donations from the UK and America, Miss Kadyrova, an accountant earning the equivalent to £40 per week, was able to raise £6,000.

Since arriving in Oxford at the end of January, mother and daughter have received £7,000 in donations -- many from kind-hearted Oxford Mail readers.

On Sunday, the fund received a £500 boost from a sponsored walk by Gulshat and supporters around Blenheim Palace, in Woodstock, and at the weekend £1,300 was pledged by people in St Petersburg, Russia, where Miss Schondelmeyer works.

A further £2,000 is needed to pay for today's operation, and supporters will then have to raise a further £20,000 towards corrective spine surgery.

NOC doctors discovered Gulshat also has scoliosis, a condition which could cause her spine to bend into her pelvis, crushing her internal organs, if she does not have the operation.

To donate, log on to www.gulshatfund.org.uk or send a cheque payable to Rivers of Life Church (Oxford), with 'For Gulshat's Fund' written on the back, to: Samantha Simpson, Oxford Mail, Osney Mead, Oxford, OX2 OEJ.

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