SHE is the Southampton mum who has been facing a race against time to raise thousands of pounds for life-saving surgery.

Now Leah Boxall is just one step away thanks to community support.

As previously reported by the Echo, the mother-of-one has a rare condition that causes her head to sink into her neck,

She appealed to the community to help her raise £60,000 needed for the surgery, which is unavailable on NHS.

Now the family fun day held at the support and training headquarters in Hamble last weekend has given her a glimpse of hope, adding extra £1,500 to her campaign.

Thanks to the event Leah is only £12,500 away from the amount needed which could be reached tomorrow - if the loan she applied for is confirmed.

She said: “We need to wait until Tuesday for confirmation but it shouldn’t be a problem. It’s becoming a bit overwhelming now that it’s real and it’s a bit scary obviously.”

Once her loan will be approved, she will fly to Barcelona where the life-saving treatment is set to take place on April 25.

She said that the money raised at the family fun day have made a “huge” difference.

Hundreds of people attended to donate and enjoyed food and funny activities, including bouncy castles for the youngest.

“I am struggling to find words to say thank you. It’s almost impossible to put it into words,” she said.

The event was organised by the Fareham-based charity Act of Kindness and it followed many other fundraising activities run in the past weeks.

Kerry Snuggs, charity co-ordinator, looked after the fundraising events to support Leah and said: “We’ve given her some hope and the community has backed her. I really wish that we can save her life. It’s been hard work to fundraise but it’s been worth it."

Leah will need to undergo a second operation this summer which could stop her from being paralysed.

For this reason she will keep fundraising, as she needs to raise £20,000 for a second treatment.

To make a donation visit: gofundme.com/leahs-surgery-fund.