LITTLE Ellie McAnish has been saved from a lifetime of deafness after a funding U-turn by health chiefs.

And her jubilant parents thanked the Evening Telegraph and insisted a vital operation was only made possible after we highlighted her case.

Today her mother Sara said: "I can't believe it. I would like to thank everyone for everything they have done."

Ellie, who will be two on October 10, lives with Sara, 37, and dad Billy, 43, in Belthorn Road, Belthorn, and has been deaf from birth.

If she doesn't get a cochlear implant operation by the time she is four, she will be deaf and unable to speak properly for the rest of her life.

Her parents had hoped she would have the operation in July but were devastated when East Lancashire Primary Care Trust bosses said they only had funding for five operations in the current financial year - and Ellie was sixth on the list.

A panel of PCT chiefs was set to meet at the end of September to discuss the possibility of finding extra cash - but the longer Ellie waited, the worse her condition became.

Now, after her plight was featured in the Evening Telegraph, health bosses have phoned the family out of the blue to say they have found the necessary funding.

A date for the operation is set to be confirmed in the next week but it is expected to be some time in December.

Sara said: "I couldn't believe it. We were just planning a meeting for tonight of all the people who had offered their help in raising money to pay for the operation privately, when a call came from Blackburn with Darwen PCT to say they have decided to give us the funding.

"She said I will have a letter to confirm it within a couple of days which is absolutely brilliant. I feel like a weight has been lifted off my mind.

"I can't believe how quickly things have moved. After all, it was only a week ago that Ellie's future was still uncertain.

"I know this would not have happened without the support of the Evening Telegraph and its readers."

Now Ellie has secured funding, she can also go on a waiting list in case any earlier operations are cancelled.

Sara added: "They have said they will put Ellie on the list today so by next week we should have an actual date.

"We have been led to believe they had seen the Press coverage and were sorry for the way they had messed us around. Apparently, I should have never been told about the five who were allocated funding.

"I have felt really let down by the PCTs and although I am thrilled that we have now got the money to go ahead, I still think that we should not have had to go through all of this to get it."

Donations have been flooding in to the Ellie McAnish appeal and the family is grateful to all those people who had pledged their support.

Sara said: "It is amazing how everyone has rallied round and I can only thank them for their generosity and kindness.

"Now we just need to try and get the money back to people, just as the campaign was getting into full flow.

"Those who have sent money anonymously can be assured that we will send the money to another charity for deaf children so another child can be given the chance that Ellie now has."

A spokeswoman for Blackburn with Darwen PCT, which covers the area where Ellie lives, confirmed that funding had now been found for the operation but said she was unable to confirm any further details.