A DUDLEY couple are trying to raise £21,000 to fund life-changing surgery for their three-year-old daughter.

Erica Cucherita has cerebral palsy as a result of being born 10 weeks premature and can only walk with the aid of a frame.

But that could all change if the youngster, who attends nursery at Priory Primary School, undergoes selective dorsal rhizotomy surgery.

The operation at Bristol Royal Hospital for Children involves dividing some nerve fibres as they enter the spinal cord to free up constricting muscles.

The procedure is performed under general anaesthesia and takes between four and five hours to complete.

However as the surgery is not available to Erica through the NHS, her parents Dragos and Alexandra Cucherita have turned to children's charity Just4Children to help raise the cash.

Mr Cucherita, of Southgate Way, said online research led him to to discover the surgery, which he hopes will lead to his daughter walking independently.

"It's not impossible to raise the £21,000," the 32-year-old said.

A spokesman for Just4Children said: "We need to raise monies for Erica’s surgery to allow her the chance to lead a life without limitations and free from pain and discomfort.”

Anyone who wishes to help should visit www.just4children.org/children-helped2018/ericas-wish-to-walk to make a donation.