Courageous Daniella spurs on David
A marathon runner has paid tribute to the courage of a young girl battling painful treatment to overcome the effects of meningococcal septicaemia.
Daniella Standring, 12, of Bury St Edmunds, was left with one leg shorter than the other after suffering from the life-threatening form of blood poisoning when she was two.
Despite her disability, the Hardwick Middle School pupil had been able to lead an active life, enjoying sports such as gymnastics – but in January she began painful treatment to lengthen her leg after the difference between them grew to 6cm.
Now, David Overman, her mother Sue's boss, is to run the London Marathon in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Daniella is treated, after hearing of her condition.
Mr Overman, who has already run the marathon once before as well as marathons in Paris and Dublin, announced his plans while out for a drink with colleagues from energy distributors GTC, based in Woolpit.
The 48-year-old, who lives in Elsmwell and is a member of Bury Pacers, said: "Training is going quite well and I know what to expect now.
"It's quite easy to train and run a marathon compared to what they are doing to Daniella – in terms of pain, a marathon is a short-lived thing and it's nothing in comparison.
"When you start to feel tired, you think about the frame she has to have strapped to her leg and it does really help to motivate you."
Mrs Standring said Daniella would have to use a wheelchair or crutches to move around for five more months, having had a special frame fitted to her leg at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
"We have to twist the struts on the frame by 1mm each time and it's very painful," she said. "She's doing brilliantly, and she's back to school full-time now.
"Day-to-day life is very up and down – because she was so active, doing lots of sports at school, it can get her down, but we've tried to replace it with other things.
"I cried when David told us what he was doing. It's such a touching thing for someone to do. Daniella is quite impressed."
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Weather for Bury St Edmunds
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South
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Light sleet showers
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