PARENTS of a terminally ill toddler from Newton Abbot have been heartened by an out-of-the-blue cash donation to help fund a mobility car to help him get out and about.

Emma and Kevin Murphy, of Albert Terrace, had been appalled that their appeal to a government department for the life-enhancing motor was rejected on legal grounds.

They were told Stanley, nearly two and afflicted with the genetic disorder Tay-Sachs disease which attacks the nervous system, would only qualify for the aid when he was three.

But all their despair and frustration have evaporated in an instant after a generous soul came forward and gave them sufficient funds to lease the car to transport the tot’s bulky wheelchair.

A delighted Emma said she’d been overwhelmed with the magnificent gesture and similarly thrilled with many offers of help to combat the disappointing news from the uncaring Department of Works and Pensions.

‘It’s just amazing. This will dramatically improve the comfort and quality of Stanley’s life,’ she said, adding that with the luck the vehicle should be on the road and whizzing young Stanley around at Christmas.

The hard-line Department of Works and Pensions had insisted that ‘rules were rules.’ They could not deviate from legal strictures.

Emma said of their unbending attitude: ‘I don’t think the people who make these decisions have a clue what life is really like when you have a poorly child.

‘Stanley, who is nearly two, might not live until he is three. To be told he can’t get help he needs until he is three is not right.’

The couple’s application to make Stanley’s life-limiting condition more bearable was made under the Disability Living Alliance mobility scheme.

The department said applications could be submitted three months before the child turned three to allow time for the benefit to be paid on the actual birthday.

Tay-Sachs is a degenerative genetic condition which leads to death in infancy by disabling the nervous system. Sufferers rarely survive beyond the age of five.

Emma has described Stanley as a happy boy who enjoys the company of children and loves going outside in his push-chair, a pleasure now made much easier thanks to a mysterious owner’s big heart.