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Battling Leeds youngster is joining her sisters in charity challenge
Little Denby Williams is lucky to be alive.
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She and her five-year-old identical twin sister Dana very nearly died at birth.
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But despite suffering from cerebral palsy Denby will be taking on one
of the biggest challenges of her life.
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The youngster, who often struggles to walk long distances, will be tackling the Sport Relief Mile in Leeds city centre to help others.
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Denby, from Garforth, in Leeds, will be donning fancy dress costumes alongside Dana and older sister Kira, eight, to do their bit for the challenge in March.
Their 13-year-old sister Paisley will also take on the challenge but will be taking part in the three-mile event.
The Ninelands Lane Primary pupil saw victims from the Haiti earthquake on the television and decided that she would like to take part in an event to help make a difference to others.
Proud mum Julie Beer, who works as a nurse at a medical centre in
Colton, said: "Denby is excited and happy that she can do this. There are certain things that she can't do so it makes her feel included in a way.
"She struggles with anything that involves using both hands, chewing food so it has to be cut up really fine and it can be difficult for her to keep her balance.
"She can walk a little bit which we are so grateful for but keeping her walking, although it's only a mile, will seem like 10 miles to Denby.
"I am really proud of them especially after what they've been through."
The twins were born six weeks early and Julie suffered from twin- to-twin transfusion, which meant that all the blood and nutrients went to one twin whilst the other was left starved.
The twins spent the first two weeks of their lives on the neo-natal care unit at St James's Hospital in Leeds.
Dana, who suffers from asthma, was born with club foot but it was corrected with intense physiotherapy.
Mrs Beer has now bought Denby a treadmill to help build up her muscles in time for the walk and the youngster will undergo some extra physiotherapy.
Mrs Beer added: "The girls get together and make pictures to sell them to their grandparents for charity and the money goes into a charity box in a shop.
"When Denby heard something about Haiti we found that there was an advertisement on the television for the mile so I asked her if she would like to take part in it."
Mrs Beer and her husband Stephen will be guiding the youngsters around the course alongside Denby's grandfather John Rock, who underwent a triple heart bypass last year.
The three girls hope to raise around 80 and to sponsor them visit www.mysportrelief.com/kiradenbydana
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Friday 25 May 2012
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