Northampton nurses raise £15k for family of girl with brain tumour

Nurse Tori described her daughter, Felicity, as "strong, beautiful, clever, and stubborn"

Colleagues of a nurse whose three-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with a brain tumour have raised thousands to "make memories" in her final months.

Tori says her little girl Felicity's prognosis is nine to 12 months and she wants to "make it spectacular".

Fellow nurses at Northampton General Hospital have set up a crowdfunding page for "our lovely junior respiratory ward sister" and her family.

It has raised almost £15,000 in its first week.

The fundraising drive started when Felicity was admitted to the neuro-oncology ward at Nottingham Children's Hospital last week.

One of Tori's colleagues set up a page on the JustGiving platform and said: "I appreciate times are hard for a lot of families at the moment.

"However, for their little family, life just got a little harder.

"Please find it in your hearts to help one of the loveliest of colleagues and friends."

The aim was to pay for travel, accommodation and food for the family while Felicity undergoes treatment.

Felicity is being treated at Nottingham Children's Hospital

Tori said: "She [Felicity] has been diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) in her brain stem.

"She can have radiotherapy in the next few weeks which will greatly help her symptoms.

"Prognosis is nine to 12 months and we are going to make it spectacular."

'Overwhelmed'

DIPG is found in around 20 to 30 children each year in the UK, and there is currently no cure.

It affects the part of the brain that controls essential functions like heartbeat, breathing, swallowing and eyesight.

Most children with DIPG do not live longer than 18 months after diagnosis.

Tori's colleagues at Northampton General Hospital started the fundraising drive

Tori said she had overwhelmed with the messages and donations since the funding page was launched.

"We may not be able to respond to each message individually but we appreciate every message.

"It gives us strength to face each moment. Our strong, beautiful, clever, stubborn three-year-old is loved by many and we can feel that surround us in the worst time of our lives.

"I would like the money raised go towards making some special family memories to treasure and to hold onto in the darkest of days," she added.

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