Kids' cancer support kits 'so appreciated'

Hazel the cuddly dog helps keep Ivy warm during her cancer treatment

A 11-year-old girl with a brain tumour says she wants "other children to be cheered up as much as I was" by receiving a charity cancer support kit.

Ivy Walsh, from the Wigton area of Cumbria, has been undergoing chemotherapy for more than a year.

She is working with Cancer Support UK to fundraise for more Kids' Cancer Kits, which are filled with games, fluffy socks and a sensory soft toy that can be warmed up in the microwave.

Ivy, whose toy Hazel accompanies her to hospital every week for her treatment, explained: "Chemo can make you kind of cold, so that can be useful."

Ivy's tumour is inoperable but doctors have told her family that, if stabilised, she could live a "relatively normal life".

"I was feeling very fed up and quite sad before I got [the support kit]," she said,

"When I received it, I just was very happy."

'Thinking of you'

Her mum Cherry said the kit had been "so appreciated" because it helped distract from the intense treatment.

She said: "It means more than just the items in the box because people feel cared for.

"Just receiving something and knowing that strangers have donated and that people are thinking of you, I think it makes all the difference."

Ivy is fronting the charity's Fill a Kit campaign, which saw more than a thousand kits delivered last year.

CEO Mark Guymer said demand for the kits remained high.

"Children with cancer face fear, pain and disruption at a time when they should be playing, learning and being children," he said.

"Each donation... helps alleviate the emotional burden for a child in treatment and their family."