A five-year-old boy who doctors feared would be wheelchair-bound for life has walked unaided for the first time after a “miracle” operation.Joey Patterson was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2017 after mum Gemma noticed he was choking on his food. Doctors said the youngster would be confined to a wheelchair unless he had pioneering spinal surgery.Sadly, Joey did not meet the criteria to have the operation on the NHS so his parents launched a fundraising appeal to have it done privately.After months of fundraising, his family finally hit the £50,000 target for Joey to have SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) at Great Ormond Street Hospital in 2019.Surgeons opened up Joey’s spine and cut the nerves which were sending abnormal messages to his leg muscles which meant he was unable to walk.The brave lad also underwent months of gruelling physiotherapy where he was taught how to walk.Heartwarming footage shows Joey taking his first steps unaided as his proud mum cheered him on.Joey, from Loughborough, Leics., has now built up the strength to walk 100 steps on his own.