A PARAMEDIC who is training as a nurse is trying to raise £30,000 to help improve the life a severely disabled three-year-old.

Lucy Short, from Shotton Colliery, near Peterlee in County Durham, met three-year-old Cooper Guthrie, from Spennymoor, as part of her training to become a specialist nurse.

The 28-year-old, who is a paramedic for the North East Ambulance Service, alongside her husband Corey, is now trying to raise the cash to make improvements to Cooper’s home to make it easier to look after him and for him to get around.

She said: “He’s such a lovely little boy. It’s a privilege to be part of his life and the work I do with Cooper is very rewarding.

“He’s only three at the moment but he is quite heavy and as he gets older and bigger, it will only get harder to look after him.

“I would like to raise the funds as a surprise to Cooper to allow him to achieve all that we set out to do in our day-to-day lives.”

She spends several hours a week looking after the youngster, who has a tracheostomy to allow him to breathe and needs round-the-clock care because of a rare condition which means his muscles are very weak.

It means he is unable to sit up, talk, eat or move around and needs constant care.

Mrs Short added: “When Cooper is well he is always smiling and happy and loves activities any three-year-old boy does.

“He enjoys me bouncing him on the trampoline, going swimming, listening to music and watching the iPad.

“The challenge at home is the house is not practical for his needs.

“It’s narrow, meaning it is hard to move him around in the house, the stairs are steep and unsafe and there are no ramps or easy access.

“Cooper sleeps downstairs but the bathroom does not accommodate his needs so washing him is very difficult.

“All the difficulties faced will get worse as Cooper gets older.”

She started looking after Cooper in November and hopes to continue with the work after she finishes her course next January.

She is trying to raise the money so his parents Kelly Short and Kevin Guthrie will be able to adapt their home, including installing a ceiling track hoist, wider doorways to provide wheelchair access, ramps and a rising bath.

As Cooper grows, the adaptations will make it easier to care for him.

Mrs Short, who is studying at Teesside University, is taking part in the Great North Run in September and is doing a marathon in Stirling in April to raise the funds.

The keen netball player has started running for the first time and is training alongside Max, her cocker spaniel to improve her endurance.

She took part in this week’s Durham City Run, a 10k run, to start her fundraising.

She said: “This is the first time I’ve really done any running. Doing 10k was hard so I’ve got a lot of work to do.

“It seems to be all I’m doing at the moment”

She added: “But anything I can raise will help go towards making the family’s life a bit easier.”

To sponsor Mrs Short visit her fundraising website, which can be found at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lucyshort27.