A SIX-year-old boy with a debilitating disease is learning to take his first steps after undergoing a life-changing operation in America.

Earlier this month Earby youngster Robin Carter, who suffers from spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, underwent a selective dorsal rhizotomy in Missouri.

After years of relying on a crocodile frame to get around, football-mad Robin is now working towards being able to walk unaided.

According to his mum Natalie, his dream of being able to have a kickabout with his friends looks a strong possibility after he made good early progress.

Speaking from St Louis, she said: “Robin’s surgery went really well and the range of movement he now has in his legs is brilliant.

“When he came around in intensive care he said ‘mummy my legs are all loose’ which was just what we had hoped for because it meant all the tightness that was holding him back and would have caused him to deteriorate had gone.

“Yesterday he managed to walk from one side of the apartment to the other, holding just one hand.

“He loves to practice walking in front of a mirror, so he can see himself and just how good his legs and feet look.”

Robin is now undergoing gruelling physiotherapy as he works towards being able to walk without any assistance.

But years of walking on his toes have caused them to shorten, so he must now undergo surgery to have his hamstrings and heel cords lengthened.

Natalie said she and Robin’s dad Martin also had to contend with tornadoes, which ripped through St Louis and other parts of Missouri.

She said: “On Wednesday night when the tornado alarms went off at 3.30am we had a knock on the door and were asked to move down to the first floor for safety.

“Then at 4.30am when it was very near we were all moved into a corridor with no windows, which was very scary but Robin was fine. He’s made friends with some other children who are here for the same thing and they played their Nintendo DS through the whole thing. It was us mums doing all the worrying.

“We have been so lucky as it passed with no damage. We stayed downstairs until 11.30am when we were sure there was no more heading our way.

“By the time we get home there wont be many things we haven’t been through.”