Little Dakota Clarke was born with a rare brain condition which has left her almost totally unable to see.

But now doctors in China have developed a revolutionary stem-cell treatment, which could allow her vision for the first time.

Following an appeal last week in The CT's sister paper The Sunday Life, Dakota's parents Wilma and Darren now have over £2,000 to go towards the £30,000 operation in Xiashan in southern China.

Wilma said: “The response has been brilliant. People who we haven't seen in years have been sending us emails asking us how we are, wishing us well and good luck.

“The appeal has been going about a week and it is going really well. We have several initiatives to raise money. We have the Belfast Marathon, a sponsored walk, a charity night, quiz sheets and things we don't even know about!

“We have actually found a few more kids in the province with the same condition.

“All of those people thought they were on their own but after the story ran in the Sunday Life we had all those emails where there were kids with the same condition.”

Dakota was born in April 2006 with an ultra rare brain condition called Septo-optic Dysplasia (SOD) and problems include growth deficiencies, weak muscles, seizures and severe bouts of dehydration. The lack of a pituitary gland means that Dakota is tiny for her age.

Wilma said the operation will make a huge difference to Dakota's sight.

“At the moment she only has slight light perception, she will never have perfect vision but past results from the operation show they can read off eye charts,” she said.

“Anything that would make her life easier would be great.”

Albert Morrison, who made a generous donation to the appeal, said: “I saw the story in the Sunday Life and you would have to have a heart of stone if you couldn't respond to something like that.

“She is such a beautiful little girl, it is the least that I could do.”

Donations to the appeal can be made online at www.babydakota.org .