Girl's stem cell treatment begins

Shonia flew out with her parents at the beginning of the month

An eight-year-old Dorset girl with cerebral palsy is to begin a radical new treatment at a hospital in China.

Vaishnavi Tahiliani, known as Shonia, flew to China with her parents - Kishor and Priti - at the beginning of the month for the stem cell treatment.

Unavailable in the UK, the treatment has been used at a hospital in Beijing to treat people with cerebral palsy.

The family, from Bournemouth, Dorset, had to raise £18,000 for the treatment, which was due to start on Tuesday.

The treatment at Tiantan Puhua Neurosurgical Hospital sees stem cells injected into the spinal cord fluid so they can then flow directly into the brain.

The cells, taken from the umbilical cords of healthy babies, then develop into new nerve cells and repair some of the brain damage.

The treatment could take up to three months.