An inspirational Barrhead girl will fly to America this autumn after being selected to go on the trip of her dreams.

Lauren Cosgrove was born 27 weeks early and, since then, life for her and her family has not been easy.

However, through all of the challenges, Lauren has kept a smile on her face.

And, on her 12th birthday, her smile was even bigger as she found out she will soon be going to Florida, courtesy of the Dreamflight charity.

Lauren’s mum, Laura MacDonald, explained: “It was the lovely nurses from Paisley’s children’s ward who put Lauren forward for Dreamflight.

“They looked after her when she was a baby and they also followed the charity and thought Lauren would be perfect for it.

“It was a totally amazing surprise when we found out Lauren had been picked but a nightmare to keep it a secret as we found out weeks ago.

“The close family and friends that knew were sworn to secrecy until her birthday but there were a few times we nearly slipped up.”

Dreamflight is a UK charity that changes young lives by taking children with a serious illness or disability on the holiday of a lifetime to Orlando, Florida.

Lauren has short gut syndrome and is kept alive through artificial nutrition machines, with one tube going into her heart and another into her gut.

Despite these challenges, she founded her own charity, Lauren’s Lifelines, which helps youngsters suffering from similar conditions.

Laura decided to wait until Lauren’s birthday to tell her about the Dreamflight trip – and arranged for Minnie Mouse to visit their house to deliver the news.

“It’s a holiday of a lifetime for Lauren and the other kids that are going each one of them deserve it,” said Laura.

“Lauren has worked so hard to help others that it’s nice for her to be given this amazing opportunity. She’s already counting the days on her calendar until she goes.

“What she doesn’t realise is that she’s going to have to earn pocket money for spending, so the dishes and other chores have now got her name on it.”

Jennifer Rodgers, chief nurse at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital, said Lauren thoroughly deserves her trip to Florida, which takes place next month.

She added: “We were delighted we could help with Lauren’s application.

“Lauren has made excellent progress and this holiday will be a fabulous reward for her. We hope she has a ball. - she deserves it!”

If you would like to learn more information about Lauren’s Lifelines, visit the charity’s Facebook page.