Brave young girl ticks off bucket list

11-year-old Beth Cooper-Wares was born with, a severe form of brittle bone disease meaning simple tasks like walking leave her with broken bones.

Beth has had over 35 major breaks, and has spent months of her life in and out of hospital in single or sometimes even full body casts.

To give her daughter a boost, Beth's mum Katie decided that her daughter should see the world.

The 11-year-old plans to blog about her experiences and hopes to swim with turtles, ride in a hot air balloon, see a show on Broadway, see elephants in the wild, have a mud bath in China, volunteer to teach English in India, and wheel through Pine Forests in Scotland.

Beth is due to start high school this year, and Katie says her daughter would be leaving the comfort of her small-town primary school.

“They just didn’t see her as having a disability,” she said. “They’d change things around so that she was always included.”

“But Beth is turning 12 this year and it's hard enough being a woman surrounded by media that tells you to be perfect, let alone if you're someone with any difference.”

A broken bone means they’ve had to delay their 18 month trip until next month and will skip a planned stop in London heading directly to Paris, where a generous donor has offered them a room to stay in for a fortnight.

'We've got Beth's wheelchair and we've sold everything that we own, including our car. We're all set to go and have a bag of clothes and her flute and my guitar as we're planning on busking overseas, and that's all we have which is cool'.

Katie said she and Beth have been so overwhelmed with the generosity of people they haven't met, and are both keen to give back from their experience and keep their situation in perspective.

'I've learnt from this whole trip that people do want to give and are very kind,' Katie said.

“I don't really know what will happen but we've put our faith in the kindness of strangers and I have a really good feeling that it will all evolve naturally the way it should.”

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“One thing I always say to Beth there is no kind of perfect being. We all have imperfections and issues, that’s ok and you just do the best you can.”

"Beth is an amazing writer and very funny and I want her to hone her skills in those areas so she can do whatever she wants to do, and in the meantime bring some attention to what is going on in the world," she said.

Visit bethsadventure.com to help towards her adventure