THE mother of a seven-year-old schoolgirl who suffers from a crippling bone condition is appealing for cash so she can buy her daughter a new wheelchair.

Single mum, Joanne Eaton of Fulwood Hall Lane, Preston, needs to raise £4,200 for a modern electric wheelchair to give her daughter Rachel as easy a life as possible.

Both Joanne, 26, and Rachel, pictured here together, suffer from the rare genetic disease Osteogenesis Imperfecta, known as glass bones disease, meaning their bones break very easily.

So far little Rachel has suffered 79 separate breaks, including breaking her back three times while in bed asleep.

And, during the summer holidays, the brave youngster was out of plaster for just one week. Rachel, who attends Longsands Primary School, Fulwood, rarely ventures outside without the aid of her large wheelchair on loan from the Brittle Bone Society. But her mum, who is wheelchair bound after breaking more than 500 bones, wants to purchase a more suitable chair to accommodate her daughter's needs.

She said: "When I was pregnant the doctors told me there was a 50/50 chance of Rachel having the same condition. Unfortunately she has it more severely than me.

"She desperately needs her own wheelchair so she can have a better quality of life.

"But, she is a very happy little girl. She never grumbles and copes very well, even though she suffers a lot of pain every time she has a break."

To donate money, or to discuss fund-raising ideas, call the Citizen Newsdesk on (01772) 255531.