Target of £500,000 hit for Corby girl with rare cancer

Florence Bark was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, which only affects 100 children a year

The family of a six-year-old girl with a rare form of cancer has reached a fundraising target of £500,000 in just over a month.

In May, Florence Bark, from Corby, Northamptonshire, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and will need a bone marrow transplant.

On 18 June her family issued an appeal on social media for donors and created a fundraising page.

Writing on Instagram, the family said it was "a staggering amount of money".

According to charity Blood Cancer UK, only 100 children in the UK are diagnosed with AML every year.

Florence, who turned six earlier this month, became ill at the beginning of May and was diagnosed with AML about two weeks later.

Two weeks into her treatment, Florence was found to be in the "high risk" category - and further genetic testing confirmed a rare gene rearrangement that affects less than 10% of children with AML.

Florence's family describe the six-year-old as smart and kind

Florence is due to go for a bone marrow transplant at the beginning of August, but many need further transplants after this.

The money being raised is for treatment options not available on the NHS if her transplant fails, and could cost in excess of £500,000.

In a post on social media announcing the amount had been raised, the family said: "We still have a very long road ahead of us, but knowing we have this amount of money behind us helps to relieve a huge pressure.

"There are so many people that should be incredibly proud of themselves for helping us to reach this amazing amount of money. Words can't thank you enough."