A town has thrown its support behind a two-year-old girl’s dream of walking.

The people of Dundalk, Co Louth, have already raised half the target of €100,000 to pay for surgery in the US for little Zoe Murphy.

Zoe was born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and her parents, Lynda (32) and Eamon (37), have been told she will struggle to walk as a result.

They hope to raise the six-figure sum to pay for life-changing surgery and physiotherapy for their daughter at St Louis Children’s Hospital in Missouri.

“The response has been unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable,” said Lynda.

She said the generous response of locals had “changed me as a person and my outlook, so when Zoe has her treatment I want to pay it forward and help other children because so many are looking for the same surgery”.

The surgery – known as selective dorsal rhizotomy – will be performed by paediatric neurosurgeon TS Park, who has operated on a number of Irish children in his career. The procedure aims to reduce the muscles displaying spasticity, thereby improving her chances of walking.

“We have just passed the half-way mark and the fundraising is continuing,” said Lynda.

A Gofundme page has been created as part of the fundraising effort.

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