A Christmas wish has come true for one little girl as she has taken her first independent steps after a life-changing operation.

Paige Stewart's have tonight released an emotional video showing Paige’s journey from 2014 when she struggled to stand, through her operations in January this year, to now.

Mum Julie said: “It is the most precious heartwarming Christmas gift, have the tissues at the ready. Dreams really can come true."

Watch: Paige's Christmas wish comes true

She added: “I’d like to thank all the supporters and fundraisers, along with Ciara Allen for being by my side constantly throughout the fundraising and keeping the driving force going with me, as well as the Medway Messenger for their stories and support.”

The video ends with a clip of Paige walking unaided across the living room at home in Rainham.

Paige touched the hearts of Medway Messenger readers at Christmas 2014 when she wrote to Santa asking him to help her walk.

This year, her letter thanked Santa for helping her and she asked for a guitar, a dolly and a phone.

The six-year-old, who has cerebal palsy, was facing life in a wheelchair and had to use a frame to get around.

Her family were told by doctors in the UK that there was nothing more they could do to help her, but her parents, Julie and David, refused to give up.

They launched an appeal, backed by the Medway Messenger, to raise the funds for ground-breaking treatment, which is not available on the NHS.

Through fundraising, and an anonymous donation of £20,000, the family raised more than £45,000 to pay for the operations and physiotherapy.

Paige had two operations at a hospital in Missouri, the first to remove part of her spine and cut the nerve-endings and the second to lengthen her muscles.

Just hours after the operation Paige was able to wiggle her toes and flex her foot – something she hadn’t been able to do since she was a baby.

Since then she has been having lots of physiotherapy and earlier this year even rode a bike for the first time.