“I just want my little girl to give her younger brother a clip round the ear if he’s winding her up and then be able to run away.”

Those are the words of Leila Jackson that paint a picture of family life, a picture that mums of siblings the length and breadth of Gloucestershire see every day.

However, it’s not a picture that Leila sees because running is something that her three-year-old daughter Lilac is not yet able to enjoy.

That’s because little Lilac has Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy, a desperately tough condition which severely restricts her movement.

“Lilac can walk with a walking frame, but not very far,” said Leila. “Her legs get very tired and she can’t walk unaided.

“She doesn’t have the stamina to go too far – she can’t walk farther than 400 metres. For her, walking is just a means of getting from A to B.

“Normally if she wants to go anywhere at home she scrambles around or crawls.”

That’s not easy for anyone of course – and the family have certainly been through some very tough times over the past three and a bit years – but happily there is plenty of hope on the horizon.

“We’re hoping that Lilac can have a life-changing operation in April,” said Leila. “We’re just waiting for the specialist to come back to us. Hopefully she can have the operation in Bristol. We think she will but if we have to go to America we will – although that would be the worst case scenario.”

In neither country is the operation – or the extensive rehab that follows – state-funded which means that the family must find the money themselves if Lilac is to live a life free from pain.

“We’ve been fund-raising since October and we’ve already raised £24,000,” said Leila, an ex-Cleeve School pupil who lives in Bishop’s Cleeve with husband Barry – an IT recruiter – and children Lulu, 12, Leo, who will be two next month, and Lilac. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response, people have been so generous.”

If the operation takes place in Bristol, the cost, including the 18 months of rehab to follow, will be about £42,000 and it will be almost double that if they have to go to America.

But while Leila may have been overwhelmed by the support they have received, the way everyone has rallied round – including many in the sporting world – should not really come as any great surprise.

See a photo of happy-go-lucky little Lilac and it’s very hard for anyone not to want to dig deep and show their support.

“She’s an absolute joy,” said her proud mum. “She’s got the biggest smile you’ll ever see, whatever the world throws at her she keeps on smiling. She’s happy, easy-going and content. She’s a special girl.”

And while she is starting to become more and more aware of what her limitations are – she obviously can’t do everything that her friends at Little Smarties nursery in Bishop’s Cleeve can – mentally she is right up there with the very sharpest children.

“She’s as bright as a button,” said Leila. “She’s starting to learn letters and is quite advanced for her age. That’s why the operation is so important. If she is slowed down physically, that will potentially mean that her learning will slow.”

And while Lilac clearly wants to learn, like all three-year-olds she loves to play as well.

“She loves playing with her imagination when she’s at nursery,” said Leila. “She’s always in the make-believe corner.”

And what about at home? What’s her favourite toy?

“She loves playing with her dolls and, yes, she has got a favourite,” laughed Leila, who is a part-time HR manager.

“She’s called ‘Lovely Baby’. She’s completely bald but according to Lilac she’s got beautiful hair! She just loves to play.”

And it’s that winning personality that has won over so many people since Leila launched the fundraising campaign a little more than three months ago.

Barry’s brother Mark and his friend Lachlan Sharples raised £1,500 through Movember, Team Lilac – made up of seven or eight people – have raised over £1,000 through Dry January and a bucket collection at Tesco in Bishop’s Cleeve raised over £1,000.

And the world of sport has certainly played its part too.

“Cheltenham Town Football Club have been great,” Leila said. “We met John Finnigan and he and my husband hit it off straight away. Barry is the biggest football nerd going! He’s from London and supports Crystal Palace but he’s becoming a Cheltenham fan now!

“We’re going to meet the players at training and Lilac will be the team’s mascot for the home game against Wycombe on Saturday 17th February.

“The club are going to do a video of Lilac which they’ll play on their screen so that the fans can get to know her and we’ll be bucket collecting on that day.

“The club have also said we can have free use of their function room for a race night.”

And it’s not just Cheltenham who are playing their part in helping to give Lilac a better life. Fergal O’Brien Racing have also offered their support as have another high-profile football club.

“Hereford have said they’ll support us in the same way as Cheltenham,” said Lelia. “That’s come about through Jack Deaman, who used to play for Cheltenham and is now at Hereford. His daughter Theadorah goes to nursery with Lilac.”

DW Fitness in Cheltenham is also organising a sponsored event next month – again through Jack Deaman – and while it’s busy, busy, busy, Leila can’t thank people enough for their support.

“We feel very lucky,” said Leila. “We really are humbled by people reaching out to help, we’re so grateful. We are so fortunate that we’ve got so many people rooting for us

“It changes everything, it’s a wonderful feeling.”

And while the operation is just the start – Leila is under no illusions that Lilac’s rehab will be tough, very tough – she is in no doubt about the end game.

“We want Lilac to be able to walk independently and pain free,” said Leila. “We want her to be able to learn to run, jump, ride a bike and drive.

“We want her to get to the position where her body won’t hurt anymore and be able to live as near as normal a life as possible.

“We’ve got a very small window of opportunity. We must make sure we do the very best for Lilac.”

And the Jackson family certainly are.

Read those last few quotes from Leila again and all she wants for her little girl are the things that most parents take for granted with their children.

Little Lilac with the winning smile deserves all the support she can get. Visit:
www.justgiving.com/campaigns/charity/just4children/lilacslittlelegs