The family of a brave little girl who fought an extremely rare brain tumour have appealed to the public to send her birthday cards to celebrate her recovery.
Courageous Eve Gascoigne, six, was diagnosed with myoepithelial carcinoma, a rare brain tumour which only affects eight people globally, after a routine opticians visit in November 2016.
Eve was only expected to get a new pair of glasses to correct a squint but was diagnosed with the condition by doctors and rushed for immediate surgery to remove the tumour.
Her mum Phillipa Batten, 35, has urged the public to support her brave daughter on her birthday on August 28 after a challenging year.
She said: “I thought it would be a really nice idea to try and get as many birthday cards as possible for Eve to open.
“Then I can keep them all in her memory box.
“She deserves a big day.”
Eve’s family set up a fundraising appeal earlier this year to pay to send her to America for Proton Beam Therapy which raised over £17,000.
Thankfully for the family, after a long battle with the NHS, they agreed to pay for the therapy after she was re-diagnosed with Astroblastoma.
Phillipa said: “It was such a relief that we managed to secure the funding.
“It was a no all the way through until the very final stage of funding and we were so happy that Eve could finally have the therapy.”
Astroblastoma is a rare tumour located in the brain.
It can occur in individuals of any age, but occurs predominantly in children and young adults.
Because these tumours are rare, there is little known regarding their behavior and how they should be managed.
Eve, from Bridlington, East Yorks., flew to Jacksonville, Florida for nine weeks of radiation therapy which is hoped to have removed the full tumour.
Plucky Eve, who has a half-sister Naomi, 11, has thankfully returned to her usual life without any side effects and her mum said that she deserves a very special day.
Phillipa, a mortgage adviser, added: “She has just got on with her everyday life and has shown no side effects.
“The doctors in America were absolutely amazing, I couldn’t thank them enough.
“Eve has her first MRI scan a few days after her birthday and we are just praying that it is positive.
“She is such a fighter.”
