Grace step closer to home

Carterton schoolgirl Grace Yeats, 10, has been flown to Wairarapa Hospital.

The St Mary's School pupil was struck down with a mystery brain illness in May and was left unable to walk or talk.

She was flown to Starship Hospital in Auckland, where her mother Tracy kept a constant vigil by her bedside for nine months.

Grace has undergone several procedures during her time at Starship Hospital, including being the first girl in New Zealand to receive electrical brain implants for powerful spasms.

The Grace Yeats Trust raised funds to modify the Yeats family home in Carterton to be ready for her return - which is a step closer since her transfer on Tuesday to Wairarapa Hospital.

Numerous other fundraisers have been held in Wairarapa and beyond for Grace and her family, who this week requested privacy.