An appeal for almost £250,000 has been launched to help get a five-year-old Ed Sheeran fan to America for a new cancer treatment not available in the UK.

Maya Nash's parents thought their little girl was just under the weather with winter illnesses at the beginning of 2017, but it took almost four months to diagnose her with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma at the age of just three.

It was the start of a hellish 20 month journey for the toddler from Etchinghill near Folkestone, during which time she endured treatments including ten cycles of chemotherapy, stem cell harvesting and transplant, surgery and radiotherapy.

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Her mother Dellanie Nash, a chronic disease administrator at Sun Lane Surgery in Hythe, said the news turned their world 'upside down': "We were in denial for the first three months but at the same time, we had to face the truth.

"After four weeks of her being ill, we were pushing for an MRI scan, but it didn't happen until she stopped walking. It's only detected when it's late stage."

The condition is one of the most aggressive forms of childhood cancer, affecting around 50 children each year in the UK, and early symptoms can be easily mistaken for common childhood conditions.

The mum-of-five added that her husband Terence, 43, gave up his job as a mechanical engineer to become Maya's full time carer.

The youngster, who wants to be a paediatric doctor, has recently come to the end of her frontline treatment and doctors do not believe her disease is active, so no further treatment is planned in the UK. But the disease returns in almost 50% of children after which less than one in ten will survive. The family chose not to ring the celebratory 'end of treatment' bell in hospital because of this.

Mrs Nash, 43, continued: "We're very grateful for the NHS. Without them she wouldn't be here now.

"We thought we would find comfort from finishing treatment - but we just thought 'Is that it? There's got to be more.' We are not comfortable to apply a wait and see approach."

Maya’s family is now trying to raise £243,000 by February, so she can access the bivalent vaccine clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York within 45 days of her last clear test.

The trial, now in its third phase, is designed to prevent relapse with a year's treatment and a two year follow-up of 12-weekly tests when she returns to England. Maya will have to be seen privately because it is not covered on the NHS.

Mrs Nash said: "We are doing it because that's what you do as a parent... You cling to any hope."

Friends have been organising fundraising quizzes and concerts as well trying to tap up celebs for some support, including her favourite singer Ed Sheeran.

Going to one of the superstar's concerts is top of the Lyminge Primary pupil's wish list, after she listened to his music constantly on the ward jukebox at the Royal Marsden cancer hospital.

Her favourite song by the singer is 'Perfect'. Mrs Nash said: "His music kept her going... even though I thought, 'not again'!"

She has also told the wish-granting charity Starlight she would like to go skiing with her family as she loves the outdoors.

Maya's family – including siblings Jerome Conge, 22, Leon Nash, 18, Enzo Nash, 12 and Lola Nash, 10 - have teamed up with the charity Solving Kids’ Cancer to help raise the funds.

Mrs Nash explained why they enlisted their help: "They are specialists in neuroblastoma and have authority to help, and a good relationship with the New York hospital."

Stephen Richards, CEO of Solving Kids’ Cancer, says: “We’re here for families like Maya’s and will do everything we can to support them to raise the funds required for treatment in New York.

"Neuroblastoma has high relapse rates and we must do everything we can to try and prevent the cancer from returning."

You can donate to Maya’s campaign here or text donate MYNA99 and your amount between £1 and £10 to 70070.

You can also follow and share Maya’s story on Facebook by searching Maya Nash's Urgent Appeal.