Brave girl is a ray of sunshine; FAMILY: Battling little cancer sufferer helps to raise pounds 19,000 for hospital.

Byline: By Emma Cullwick

BRAVE little cancer sufferer Poppy Guilder brought some smiles to children in Birmingham when she joined her family to donate thousands of pounds to a city hospital.

The five-year-old has been battling a brain tumour since she was just 14 months old, but despite suffering more pain than most people do in a lifetime, the youngster has helped to raise cash for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Yesterday Poppy, of Tam-worth, joined her parents Lisa and Brian to hand over pounds 19,000 to the hospital, where she has been treated since she was a baby after doctors discovered she had a large brain tumour and the youngster had to endure eight hours of surgery.

It brings the total the family has raised for the hospital through their Poppy Fields Appeal to pounds 80,000.

The latest donation will go towards brain tumour research.

Poppy's parents said despite the fact the youngster has lost the sight in her right eye and has endured years of gruelling treatment, she never fails to smile.

"Donating this money to the hospital is our way of saying 'thank-you' because the staff have done so much for us," said Lisa, a 35-year-old teacher at Bird's Bush Primary School, Tam-worth.

"It's also our way of celebrating what a little star our daughter is.

"She has gone back on chemotherapy once a week now after being off it for two years, but she is coping tremendously well.

"If it meant having chemotherapy for the rest of her life we would do it because Poppy is such a bright, chatty active little girl.

"We live day by day now and are grateful for every moment we have with our beautiful daughter."

Lisa and Brian, a supermarket manager, have organised events from balls, to sponsored bike rides, raffles and jumble sales to raise the money.

A hospital spokesman said: "To raise pounds 80,000 is amazing by anyone's standard but to do so when you are caring for a seriously sick child yourself is something else.

"We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Lisa and Brian, their families and friends, who have so generously supported our research into the treatment of brain tumours.

"Without this support and that of many other parents we could not provide the ground breaking healthcare we do now and will continue to do in the future."

For details of the appeal visit www.poppyfieldsappeal.co.uk

TREATING POPPY

DOCTORS discovered Poppy had a large brain tumour when she went for a routine eye appointment for a squint almost four years ago.

She underwent eight hours of brain surgery to remove 60 per cent of the tumour and she only had a 50/50 chance of survival.

Sadly, a scan two months later revealed the tumour was growing again, which meant another six-hour operation, followed by 17 months of chemotherapy.

However, the tumour is starting to grow again and Poppy, who is a pupil at Dosthill Primary School in Wilnecote, restarted chemotherapy in January.

CAPTION(S):

GRIN... Poppy with mum Lisa and consultant Andrew Peet. Picture: Alan Williams Photo ref: AW010408POPPY-3