ALMOST £13,000 has now been raised to support eight-year-old Amelia Russell who is fighting a rare and deadly form of cancer.

The support has been flooding in for the Harnham Junior School pupil.

Her mum Rebecca Russell launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise £150,000 to help pay for an experimental drug treatment for her daughter.

In November 2014, aged six, Amelia was first diagnosed with a neuroendocrine carcinoma in her chest, which is most commonly found in adults over 40.

She was given the all-clear in June 2016, but in September, the family were told the cancer had returned and was in Amelia’s bones.

“I am amazed and overwhelmed by the support we have received, financial and personal, from the community of Salisbury,” said Rebecca.

On Monday the family saw specialists at the Royal Marsden Hospital to discuss clinical trials and have agreed for tissue typing tests to be carried out on Amelia’s tumour tissue to determine if the treatments are suitable, which they have been told could take a month.

Today they have an appointment at the University College London Hospital, which will look at the viability of two radiological treatments.

“We are keen to start treatment as soon as possible but until we go to University College London Hospital we won’t know [about the treatments],” added Rebecca.

“It will be clearer after the next week.”

Four potential treatment options are being narrowed down.

The £150,000 would help pay for the most expensive of the four treatment options. It would not cover the whole cost, but the family hope the NHS would fund the rest. For the other treatment options the family would need £50,000.

A number of fundraising events are being planned in the coming weeks from discos and raffles to cycling fundraisers.

A Halloween disco for children is also going to be held by the afterschool club at Amelia’s school on Sunday, October 30, at Harnham Scout Hall.

Staff at Tesco Extra in Southampton Road, pictured below, have also been adding their support by holding a number of money raising activities in store.

Salisbury Journal:

And Staff at the Journal held a collection on Friday.

Salisbury Snooker Club are holding a 24-sponsored event which starts from 12pm on Saturday. There will also be a raffle.

Harnham Local, Harnham Road is holding a raffle and table top sale on Sunday 30, 12pm-3pm.

For more information about events or to get involved go to the Fund Raising for Amelia Facebook page by clicking here.

To donate click here