A LIFE-changing operation in America for a Rossendale youngster has moved a step closer, with a date for the trip being booked.

Family and friends of football-mad Theo Bishop have been working hard to raise £45,000 to send him to America for a procedure known as Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR).

Little Theo, who launched an internet appeal by recording a personal message on his web page, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was just 14 months old after his parents went to doctors because he was struggling to sit up.

But now the youngster, who cannot walk without a frame, has the chance to have an operation in Missouri in July that will see him walk unaided for the first time.

Theo’s devoted mum, Mandy Bishop, hopes the fund, which currently stands at £30,000, will hit its target by the summer.

She said: “In just three months we have raised £30,000 which is amazing.

“We honestly thought it would take about a year to get to this point.

“We spoke to the doctors in America and they suggested we booked him in so that as soon as we hit our target Theo can have the op and bypass any waiting list.

“We know we still have a lot of work to do, but if anyone can help us reach the target we would be very grateful. Theo is very excited, but understandably a little apprehensive. We just can’t wait to see the results.

“The reason we have to raise so much money is that we have to pay for the operation, a month-long recuperation, and accommodation for us to stay too.”

The surgery will enable Theo to put his feet on the floor and make it easier for him to move around.

Theo lives with his mum, dad Stuart, sister Jaime-Leigh, 20, and brother Thomas, 14, in Fall Barn Crescent, Rawtenstall.