A FAMILY is heartbroken after the home of a girl who has a rare form of cerbral palsy was burgled.

Louise Fisher, 14, underwent brain surgery recently to attempt to enable her to regain control of her body.

The burglars broke into her bedroom and her mobile phone and all her savings – thought to be hundreds of pounds – were taken while she was out swimming with her four-year-old sister.

Louise had been saving her pocket money to go on a skiing trip to Austria with the Pathfinders charity next year.

Money and an iPad were also stolen from the house, in Haydon Wick, but Louise’s father Neil said he was appalled someone could steal from his daughter.

“She was really upset,” he said. “The whole thing has left a very sour taste. It is hard to imagine that people have been snooping around her room.

“Someone has invaded her privacy and stolen from her. I find it sickening that they could walk straight past her wheelchair and do something like that.”

The family had been gone for less than three hours before returning home and realising they would have to break the news to Louise.

“They have come in and wanted easy cash,” said Neil, 46. “We had dropped the girls off at Hop Skip And Jump, and after we picked her up the police were here, so we had to explain to her what happened.

“It really hit home for her the next day. She was crying on the bus to school, and we are really worried about her.”

Louise suffers with athetoid cerebral palsy, and underwent Deep Brain Stimulation last year at King’s College Hospital in London to allow her to control her movements.

But the operation was not entirely successful and the family have had to decide whether to put her through it again.

“One of the electrodes they installed is not working properly any more, so we have had that to deal with,” said Neil, who is self-employed.

“They said we could go back to do it again, and I was hoping it might be a simpler operation. “But it would have to be full brain surgery, and I could not let her go through that again. It put her through hell last time.

“With every operation there are going to be some risks, so we had to weigh it up. It took its toll on the whole family, but she is a brave kid.

“We chose not to because it was quite heart wrenching at the time. This will just top off her year before Christmas.”

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “Wiltshire Police were called to reports of a burglary on Thursday at Seaton Close.

“This offence is thought to have taken place between 4pm and 6.45pm. “Wiltshire Police would urge anyone who was in the area of Seaton Close between 4pm and 7pm yesterday or who may have information on this incident, to contact 101. Alternatively, information can be left anonymously on Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.”