THE family of a seven-year-old boy from Bury St Edmunds are trying to raise £50,000 to pay for him to undergo a life-changing operation in the US.

Jordan Chaplin was born nine weeks prematurely and at a year old was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. His family has launched a fundraising drive for an operation called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy which they say will give him the chance of a normal life.

His mother, Lynne Chaplin, 45, said the procedure – which involves severing nerves in the spinal chord – would make it easier for him to walk properly. Currently, Jordan, who attends Howard Community Primary School, spends more time in his wheelchair than on his frame.

Ms Chaplin, a mother-of-four from Severn Road, said they had tried everything medics in the UK had suggested – including botox to relax his muscles and having both legs in plaster casts – but now nothing was working.

She said: “We have got to the stage where we have exhausted everything they have asked us to do. He’s suffering and I cannot stand back and watch him suffer any longer. If there’s something I can do, I’m going to do it.”

She added: “If you ask Jordan what he wants to get out of it [the operation], all he wants to do is walk along the beach with his brother.”

While it is possible to have the operation in the UK, Ms Chaplin said she had found from her research a children’s hospital in Missouri would be the best place to have it performed.

She said it was not an operation you take lightly, adding: “I have taken a year to look into it and spoken to other parents who have been over there from the UK to have it done.”

It was not a miracle cure, but would make Jordan’s life more comfortable. A ladies’ night is taking place at the Priors Inn in Bury on June 14 to raise money. For tickets, call Ms Chaplin on 07758 937079 or the pub on 01284 756663.

To donate visit www.justgiving.com/operation-jordan

The Tree of Hope charity – which is supporting the family – will benefit from funds raised above the £50,000 target.