A SERIOUSLY ill tot is heading to the US for potentially life-changing treatment, after friends and well-wishers raised £12,000 in just five months.

Two-year-old Ava Roberts suffers from multiple seizures and has severely limited mobility.

But her parents, Mark and Judith, hope giving her PediaSuit treatment at the pioneering Therapies 4 Kids, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, will allow her to sit unaided, roll or even walk.

The couple, from Nettlesworth, County Durham, booked a July appointment for Ava several months ago, vowing they would borrow money or re-mortgage their home if they had to.

But the For Ava's Intensive Therapy Hope (Faith) appeal caught the public's imagination and they hit their £12,000 target following a Sainsbury's-run inter-store snooker tournament in Chester-le-Street on Thursday night (May 23).

Mrs Roberts, a teacher, said: "It's amazing. I can't believe weve actually done it.

"If you'd asked me back in January, I would have said there was no chance. But everyone's really got right behind us."

Around £5,000 was raised by a stranger, who heard about Faith through the media, running the Belfast Marathon in aid of the appeal. A race night generated a further £1,000, Mrs Roberts raised £400 through coffee mornings and individuals have made donations of up to £200.

Mrs Roberts said: "We're so grateful for everyone's support and every single person thats helped us reach £12,000."

Ava was healthy at birth but at two days old she stopped breathing, turned blue and her brain began shutting down. She spent two weeks in intensive care. Medics won't know how much brain damage she has suffered until her epilepsy is brought under control.

She has recently been placed onto the high-fat, low-carbohydrate Ketogenic diet, which is thought to reduce seizures.

The family will leave for four weeks in Florida in July.

Mrs Roberts said: "I'm trying not to get carried away but I am quite hopeful for the treatment."

To support the Faith appeal, visit facebook.com/foravasintensivetherapyhope2013

To read Mrs Roberts' blog, go to babyavasmiraclejourney.blogspot.co.uk