Girl, age 5, who was told by doctors she may never walk has taken her first steps just days after her dad died

A five-year-old girl who was warned by doctors that she may never walk due to a health condition has defied the odds to take her first steps - just days after her dad passed away.

The family of little Felicity Edgar were also told she may never talk due to having cerebral palsy, but she has learnt to read at the same time as walking unaided.

So, just why was Felicity told she may never walk - and how did she prove doctors wrong?

Here’s what you need to know.

What happened to Felicity Edgar?

Felicity Edgar developed cerebral palsy after she was starved of oxygen at birth when her mum Amber, now aged 26, experienced hospital delays in getting a caesarean section.

She was born on 11 April 2017 at the Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, West London.

Her mum Amber had a normal pregnancy but there was a delay in her getting a caesarean section, resulting in Felicity being starved of oxygen and she was not breathing when she was born and had to be resuscitated.

The incurable condition she now has, cerebral palsy, affects movement and coordination and can leave sufferers with serious brain damage.

Doctors had said Felicity may never walk or talk as a result of her condition, but the little girl was labelled a “miracle child” by her mum when she took her first steps with a walker in 2020 during the coronavirus lockdown. She also learnt to read.

Mum Amber said: “She can even read now when doctors said it wouldn’t be possible. When Felicity was born we so nearly lost her but now look at her. She is our miracle child.”

What happened to Felicity’s dad?

Felicity’s dad Adam died of pneumonia at the age of just 26 on Christmas Eve 2021.

Despite coping with the loss of her father, determined Felicity told her mum ‘look mummy, I’m going to walk’ just days after his death.

Mum Amber said: “We were all devastated at losing Adam and especially Felicity as he was her best friend.

“About a week after he passed away Felicity suddenly said ‘look mummy, I’m going to walk’ and she launched herself across the room.

“I just burst into tears from happiness after all of the pain I had felt from Adam passing away. She continues to prove everybody wrong.”

What can Felicity Edgar do now?

Since she learnt to walk without help, Felicity has mastered riding a tricycle and can even dance the Macarena.

Mum Amber said: “Since she walked unaided Felicity has been learning how to ride a trike and she’s a proper little speedy girl on that.

“She’s also very keen on dancing the Macarena. She has made such progress that we are looking into specialist surgery to improve her walking further.”

What has the hospital where Felicity was born said?

Amber, from Welling in Kent, is launching a civil claim against Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in Hammersmith, West London.

Her legal team are looking at getting her Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy surgery at Great Ormond Street Hospital, which could reduce stiffness in her muscles.

The law firm has secured a substantial interim payment from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to pay for rehabilitation, care and specialist equipment.

The trust has admitted that care provided for Felicity “fell below the appropriate standard during her mother’s labour in the period running up to her birth on 11 April 2017 and that, with the care of the proper standard, she would have avoided sustaining such neurological damage”.

Jodi Norton of Osbornes Law, a solicitor who represents the family said: “Felicity’s story is truly inspirational and she continues to amaze us all with her astonishing progress.

“We are grateful for the trust’s continued support and for the recent interim payment of compensation which will have a huge impact on Felicity’s life and enable her to continue with her rehabilitation.”