A mum whose daughter is living on borrowed time is appealing to Telegraph & Argus readers to help make a dream come true - by giving the battling youngster the chance to be a bridesmaid.

Louise McDonald and husband Neil were warned by doctors that Ellie, now four, would not live beyond her third birthday.

Brave Ellie, from Eccleshill in Bradford, suffers from Chromosome 7 Deletion and is believed to be only the 14th person in the world with the rare chromosome abnormality.

The condition has left her with multiple health problems including damage to her kidneys, heart, spine, eyes and immune system. She is only the size of a two-year-old and has already undergone more than 30 operations, as well as beating off the viral and bacterial strains of the killer bug meningitis.

And mum Louise can think of no better way to repay her courage than giving her the chance to walk up the aisle as a bridesmaid.

But first, they need to find a wedding.

"I've been pushing everyone to get married because I want her to be a bridesmaid. She has a face like a little dolly, a beautiful set of teeth and curly hair," said Louise, 27, who lives with Neil, 31, their eight-year-old son Christopher and Ellie in Leafield Grove.

"She's such a determined little girl and she's had that much surgery it's unbelievable.

"When I had a little girl I envisaged her in a pretty little bridesmaid dress and clutching a little bouquet of flowers.

"I was a bridesmaid and so were all my friends and all their little girls."

Despite her problems, Louise said Ellie, a pupil at Wellington Street First School, would rise to the task of being a bridesmaid for a day. "When she's dressed, you wouldn't realise anything was wrong," she said.

The family are optimistic about Ellie's future although there have been recent setbacks.

Her legs have been going numb, preventing her from walking.

And they had hoped that her curved spin would straighten as she walked more and muscles in her back became stronger. But that hasn't happened so, by early next year, Ellie is due to undergo a major operation at Leeds General Infirmary to correct the worsening curvature of her spine - otherwise she could end up in a wheelchair.

That will be the first surgery she has undergone for about a year after the family asked for her to have a rest from the constant round of operations and hospital appointments.

Louise said she and Neil have now even dared to talk about Ellie's own wedding day. "We've talked about when she's going to get married which is something we would never have done before," she added.

But, despite their optimism, simple things sometimes get them down such as not being able to do the sort of things other families can enjoy.

That includes not being able to take Ellie to live World Wrestling Federation (WWF) events which she loves watching on television. They can never get front row seats and she would not be able to see properly from further back.

Ends

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.