DELLA Oakes's smile says it all she has just had the best two weeks of her life.

The 28-year-old, from Wootton Bassett, who is suffering from an extremely rare terminal condition, has returned from her first ever holiday.

It was made possible by the generosity of readers who organised fundraising events and gave donations after reading about her plight.

Della says she could not have wished for a better time.

"If someone asked me if I would like to again, I would say definitely," she said.

"It was a wicked couple of weeks. It was the best two weeks of my life."

Della is believed to be the only person in Wiltshire suffering from congenital spastic deplegia, which is destroying her nerves.

As the nerves in her brain are being destroyed, her mind is becoming more childlike but she is perfectly aware of what is happening around her.

Della's sister Jenny Wiltshire, who lives in Brinkworth, said: "Going to the USA is something she has always wanted to do. This was a dream come true for her."

Her carers organised the holiday because the speed of her deterioration meant that by the end of this year she would not be physically able to cope with a holiday.

So in January they and her family and friends launched a fundraising drive to get the £5,500 needed for the holiday of a lifetime.

By September, the target had been reached and the tickets were handed over to Della as a surprise.

On October 2 Della and carers Ann Tulley and Sardia boarded the plane bound for Florida.

Ann said: "Just as the plane took off, the tears rolled down my face and Sardia's. The thought that we were actually taking Della on holiday was very emotional."

The first couple of days were spent resting and going to evening shows to allow Della to get over the flight.

The trio then spent the next two weeks travelling around the Florida parks, including Disneyland, Kennedy Space Centre, and Universal Studios.

Della said she loved every single minute of her holiday but her favourite parts were watching the sharks in Seaworld and meeting Disney characters at the MGM Studios.

While they were at Epcot they saw a parade of 1,000 American sailors, and at Bush Gardens Della managed to feed three birds who settled on her arms. One night, they even saw an American space shuttle blasting into the sky.

Ann said: "Wherever we went and people saw the wheelchair they went out of their way to help us.

"When two men in a car saw us struggling to get Della up a kerb, they stopped, got out and lifted her for us."

Della has now surrounded herself at home with a cuddly Mickey Mouse, photographs and other souvenirs from the trip, to remind her of the magical time she had.