West Lothian father who vowed to help daughter walk again climbs Ben Lomond

The determined dad has managed to raise £1,275 towards his five-year-old daughter's medical care through a sponsored hike.

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Arabella Green was born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis which causes her joints to curve in an abnormal way and left her unable to walk.

Since birth, the P1 pupil has endured numerous painful operations at Edinburgh’s Sick Kids Hospital.

William Green with five-year-old Arabella Green before the hike.

While British doctors say there is not much left that can help Arabella, her father William Green is determined to help his daughter walk again by raising £45,000 needed for specialist treatment not available on the NHS.

In a bid to raise cash, the 35-year-old dad from Bathgate has climbed one of Scotland’s tallest peaks, alongside 12 friends.

Starting at 9am on Saturday, August 21, the group completed the hike in torrential rain and were delighted to raise £1,275 for Arabella’s care.

“There were twelve of us in total and my husky, Ghost, came too. I think we did really well with it despite the weather.”

William Green and supporters on top of Ben Lomond.

Mr Green has now managed to collect £20,000 towards treatment, including £10,000 of his savings, but with a target of £45,000 the end is not yet in sight.

“The public support and fundraising give me the drive to keep going,” said Mr Green. “And it’s also helping my daughter.

“She is starting to realise that there is a possibility she could walk, it’s making her want to wear her splints and do her exercises.”

Mr Green said he is motivated to keep raising by his dream of seeing his daughter walk freely for the first time.

This dream was shared by Arabella’s late mum Catherine, who tragically took her own life in March 2021 following a battle with PTSD and depression.

Before her death, Catherine’s life had been dedicated to raising awareness of arthrogryposis and attempting to find a cure for her daughter.

The determined mother took Arabella to meet an American specialist, Dr Feldman, in Warsaw, Poland who introduced her to a new treatment, not available on the NHS.

Mr Green has been raising cash for this treatment ever since Catherine's sad passing.

“There are children just like Arabella is now and Dr Feldman helped them walk. I’m not giving up.”

To donate to Arabella’s Fight To Walk CLICK HERE.

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