A Folkestone schoolgirl is having her hair cut to help raise money for lifesaving treatment for her little sister.

Lola Nash's sister Maya has been battling stage four high-risk neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of cancer that affects fewer than 100 children in the UK each year.

Maya, now six, of Etchinghill, Folkestone, was just three when she was diagnosed, and went through 10 cycles of chemotherapy and other invasive treatments over 20 months before doctors declared her condition 'not active'.

The declaration means there is no further treatment planned in the UK, but neuroblastoma has a 50% chance of returning, and if it does then Maya's long-term survival chances will decrease to 10%.

Because of that, her family have been fighting to raise money to send her over to America for experimental treatment that will give her the best chance of survival.

Thanks to charity Solving Kid's Cancer, she has been able to travel to New York to undergo the first round of treatment and is due to fly out this month for the next one.

However, there are plenty of sessions to come, including two years of scans that are not avaialble on the NHS.

'I would much rather lose my hair than lose my sister'- Lola Nash

This, alongside the family and charity's limited resources mean that a lot of fundraising is still needed to help Maya see her treatment to the end, and big sister Lola, 10, decided that she had to step up.

The girls' mum, Dellanie, said: "Maya's second round of treatment is coming up soon, she and I are flying to America on the 14th of October and her treatment starts the next day.

"It is such a lot of money that still needs to be raised- we need £199,000 in total- and as a family we were wondering 'what can we do'?

"We tried to organise another fundraising gig but it was really hard to get a band to do it.

"Lola really loves her sister. When she came up with this idea, she turned around to me and said 'I would much rather lose my hair than lose my sister'."

The hair that will be cut at Luxford's Hair and Beauty Salon in Folkestone will be donated to the Little Princess Trust, a company that turns real hair into wigs for cancer victims.

"I did it myself in 2017," continued Dellanie, "And Luxford's have been fantastic, they were instantly willing to do it for free and even offered a free pampering session for Maya."

Lorilee Covall, who runs the salon, said: "When Dellanie got in contact with me of course I was more than happy to help.

"We've booked Dellanie in for a session and I'm going to do the girls' nails and really pamper them.

"We're also hosting a raffle and selling cakes as well so hopefully the day will be a real success."

The haircut will take place alongside a raffle and cake sale on Saturday October 12 at 10am. You can support Lola's fundraising efforts by clicking here.

If you would like to support the campaign in other ways, contact fundraising@solvingkidscancer.org.uk

To donate by text, write MAYA followed by any whole amount up to £20 to 70085. This will cost your donation plus your standard network charge.

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