Parents of girl, 2, with cancer needing 'miracle'
SuppliedThe parents of a two-year-old girl who was given six to 12 months to live have said they are holding out for a "miracle".
Avarni-Mae, from Hetton-le-Hole, near Sunderland, first became ill in January and her mum, Chanelle Midgley, 35, said she was frequently going to the doctors with breathing problems.
In March, after being told repeatedly the problem was viral, Avarni-Mae was given a chest X-ray where doctors found a shadow.
The two-year-old was eventually diagnosed with T lymphoblastic lymphoma leukaemia and initially given good survival chances, before it was discovered last week she also had a rare gene fusion.
Midgley said the gene fusion meant relapse could happen quickly and more aggressively, which made chemotherapy and other treatments less effective, so there was no cure.
"Our consultant is absolutely amazing and he's doing everything he can to find anything in everything," she said.
SuppliedThe youngest of seven children, Avarni-Mae was a "really bright, bubbly, energetic little girl", her mother said.
"She's just not herself, not the little girl that we're used to seeing," she said.
"She was a whirlwind, she was fun, energetic, running riot, constantly playing with toys."
But she added "we're starting to see little glimmers of her personality coming back through" now that the steroids had stopped.
The community have rallied round the family since the news of the more severe diagnosis, organising raffles, headshaves and charity nights to help support them.
Both Midgley and Avarni-Mae's dad Daniel Davis, 34, are not working, in order to spend as much time with their daughter as possible.
"There's obviously a financial strain, obviously with none of us working and we are quite a big family," she said.
"We're always back and forth to the hospital and that costs a fortune in itself, just being able to eat and things.
"It's just really nice to know that we've got that much support behind us."
The couple said while they were hopeful their consultant at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle would be able to find a treatment for their daughter, "a miracle's what we need".
