For almost five years, Scots care worker Donna Bittles has taken part in a daily "tug of war" with her son's tense, aching body.

Four-year-old Dylan Bittles has grown up with spastic quadriplegia, a form of cerebral palsy, which causes extreme tightness in his hands, arms and legs.

The condition has confined the South Lanarkshire youngster to a wheelchair and makes the simplest of routines – waking up, getting dressed and sitting comfortably – a strenuous chore.

Doctors were never optimistic that he would walk unaided, but as he grew older, Dylan became increasingly conscious that he wanted to "stand up like a big boy".

Now, following a life-changing operation, Dylan has taken his very first steps.

Supported by a walker, Dylan has been building the strength in his legs since December – but has recently taken to ambling around his house unprompted.

The impressive feat is largely down to his 25-year-old mother. Unfazed by her son’s premature birth, Donna immersed herself in cerebral palsy research - and quickly discovered the necessary treatment was not available in the UK.

In 2015, she discovered a doctor in Missouri who could ease the spasticity in Dylan’s limbs through a costly operation that, with travel expenses and post-operative physiotherapy, would cost around £60,000.

Donna set to work organising charitable events to scrape the cash together using the crowdfunding site Tree of Hope - but was overwhelmed at the response from local residents.

Friends and neighbours in Hamilton banded together to raise money for Dylan, taking part in sponsored runs, 12-hour golf marathons and munro climbs. The local chip shop even sold discounted suppers with proceeds going towards Dylan's fundraiser.

With the funding target smashed by June 2015, the Bittles family began preparations for the 8000-mile journey to the US. Dylan’s nerve surgery was scheduled for November, a prospect the four-year-old grew more and more excited for by the day.

But nothing quite prepared the family for the moment Dylan woke up after the four-hour operation, disorientated and frightened.

"The five days he was in the hospital was definitely the hardest," admits Donna. "That's when I thought I couldn't believe I had done this to him.

"He was hysterical when he woke up. He certainly wasn't in pain, the staff told us he would have the best pain management.

"He didn't know where he was just like any kid would be."

Once the initial shock wore off, Dylan began to explore his new-found faculty for movement. He picked things up with his left hand, something his mother had never seen him do voluntarily before.

Over the past month, Dylan's progress has come on quite literally in leaps and bounds – his step count is now upwards of 50 and he is now back to swimming, an activity that he has always loved.

Dylan's doctor says it will be at least another year before he is able to walk outdoors on his own unaided – but the family are noticing drastic improvements in other areas.

Not only is Dylan sleeping more soundly, but his speech has improved along with his general comfort and confidence.

Donna said: "His full persona seems generally more comfortable, even when he's on the couch watching cartoons. You used to have to mould Dylan, sit him in certain positions and it was always a constant fight against his body.

"He would curl into a wee ball at night and you literally had to massage his body to get him to loosen up in the morning. Now he's just so much more relaxed.

"The tightness is just not there any more - even holding him just feels different, I can feel the difference with him sitting on my knee.

"It sounds really cheesy but we couldn't have wished for a better Christmas present."