Luca Railton , 11 , was told he would never walk - but has now taken his first steps unaided . An 11-year-old boy told he would never walk has taken his first steps unaided thanks to pioneering treatment in the US . Luca Railton was born with bones missing from his legs , due to the rare condition bilateral tibial hemimelia . Doctors said the condition - which affects just one in three million people - meant he would to have his right leg amputated or fused straight . But his loved ones refused to accept these grim prospects , which would have left Luca severely disabled for life . Instead , they began desperately trying to find other suitable treatments , and eventually found an American surgeon called Dr Dror Paley , who assured Luca 's parents his leg could be saved . Through tireless fundraising , Mr and Mrs Railton managed to raise £135,000 to take their son to the US for surgery . He underwent a series of operations – including one to break his right leg and start lengthening his femur ( thigh bone ) . Now , Luca is walking unaided – without the stints he formerly needed - and can even play cricket and tennis . His mother , Teresa , 43 , said : 'From the moment he was born our goal in life has been for him to keep his legs . 'We knew we would do everything in our power for him . Before we went to America , Luca was getting worse . 'He was in pain and reliant on his crutches . It was awful to see . 'We knew we had to raise £135,000 and our friends have been brilliant . We have had amazing donations . But if we had n't our plan B was to re-mortgage the house . ' Luca was born with no shin bone ( tibia ) and no knee in his right leg , and only a partial shin bone in his left leg . For the first year of his life , every doctor said that his leg would eventually be amputated . But his family discovered a German surgeon called Professor Weber who had been working on Luca 's rare problem , and he agreed to come to England to perform a pioneering 10 hour operation on Luca 's legs . The surgery was hugely successful and for the next few years , Luca was able to walk on his own and play with other children . Throughout his childhood years , Luca underwent over 60 hours of surgery as doctors tried to rebuild his legs over and over again as he has grew . But in February last year , when Luca was 10 , NHS doctors told his parents there was nothing more they could do for him , and recommended he have his leg amputated , or fused straight . But his family refused to give up and combed the medical literature for alternatives , eventually coming across Dr Dror Paley , an orthopaedic surgeon in Florida . He claims to be the most experienced limb lengthening and deformity correction surgeon in the United States as well as internationally . Luca was born with bones missing from his legs , due to the rare condition bilateral tibial hemimelia . At 10-years-old doctors said nothing more could be done for him and he would need to have his leg amputated . Throughout his childhood years , Luca underwent more than 60 hours of surgery as doctors tried to rebuild his legs over and over again as he has grew . Dr Paley said he would be able to save Luca 's leg and allow him to walk , so his parents began fundraising more than £100,000 to take their son to the US . They held karaoke night , Zumba night , cake sales , races , sponsored walks and convinced local companies to donate . Setting up social media accounts and a website meant people could donate directly to Luca 's cause . They were able to raise the cash and Luca underwent his first lengthy operation on March 27 . He then had three more operations between May and November . Each day for several weeks , his parents had to turn struts placed in their son 's leg to allow the bone to grow . Since his return , Luca ( pictured right with his mother ) is now able to walk without crutches , play tennis , cricket and even hopes to drive cars . He is pictured , left , as a baby , after being diagnosed . After nine months , on December 19 , Luca and his parents returned to their home near Malmesbury , Wiltshire . Since his return , Luca has made immense progress and over the last week has been able to walk without crutches . But while the Railtons are celebrating Luca 's success , the ordeal is not over as he will need further surgery to lengthen his right leg in three years time . The rod inserted in his leg may also be removed and he will require a knee implant . Luca said : 'It 's getting easier . It was difficult at times because of the pain . 'The highlight for me was when the frame came off on November 19 . And it makes it a lot easier to get dressed in the morning without callipers [ stints ] . I can wear skinny jeans and I just wear regular shoes now.I can wear skinny jeans and I just wear regular shoes now .
Mrs Railton was born with leg bones missing due to a medical condition . In February 2014 , doctors said he would need to have his leg amputated . But his family raised £135k to take him to the US for surgery instead . Now , he is able to walk unaided and is happy he can wear skinny jeans .