Youngster defies odds to walk

A brave little Lower Gornal boy who suffers from a rare condition which means he will never grow more than 4ft tall has amazed his parents by taking his first steps.

Battling Kieran Mills, from Stickley Lane, left his family gobsmacked when he walked for the first time during a recent outing to Cotwall End Nature Reserve, Sedgley. The three-and-a-half year old suffers from achondroplasia.

The condition means his arms and legs are disproportionate to the rest of his body and his spine is bent in two places.

It has restricted Kieran's mobility since birth and, up until now, he has only been to move around with the help of a specially adapted wheelchair.

His family will celebrate the momentous occasion by holding a party at Dudley Zoo tomorrow with Kieran's friends from St Chad's Pre-School, Sedgley.

His mum, Beth Robinson, said she could not believe her eyes when Kieran took his first steps.

"We were pond dipping at Cotwall End Nature Reserve when Kieran just got up, took a couple of steps and followed us into the stream," she said.

"I just couldn't believe it. I didn't shout out because I didn't want him to fall over, but I phoned everyone I could think of to break the news.

"Although we knew he would start walking in a few years time, we just didn't expect it to be so soon.

"We have been waiting three-and-a-half years for this. We're just absolutely overwhelmed."

Beth said it was literally a case of 'one step at a time' for her son who has to put up with constant pain as he tries to learn what most young children take for granted.

She said Kieran had started pre-school in September and believed it was seeing other youngsters running around which had inspired him to take his first tentative steps.

"He's still very weak for someone of his age and it's so painful for him," she said.