A schoolgirl has returned from her first visit to New York, where she has begun vital cancer treatment.

Maya Nash from Folkestone was diagnosed with stage four high-risk neuroblastoma at the age of just three in 2017.

After several positive rounds, no further treatment was planned for her in the UK after she was told her cancer is no longer 'active'.

But her desperate family recently launched a fundraising appeal for almost £250,000 to take part in a clinical trial in America, in a bid to prevent the disease returning.

Statistics show the cancer comes back in almost 50% of children diagnosed, with less than one in ten surviving, but the treatment is currently not available on the NHS.

Her mother Dellanie Nash, 43, said: "We were there 24 days in total. Fortunately, Maya did not have any complications from the three weeks treatment, apart from redness and raised skin at the site of injections.

"She was unable to walk due to pain in the leg but it only lasted a few days each time. It’s good to be back home.

"But we are a way off our target so we are still frantically trying to keep the fundraising going."

At the end of last month, the Lyminge Primary pupil travelled to access the bivalent vaccine clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York.

While there, she had a bone marrow biopsy, blood work, microbiome testing, vaccines for three weeks and beta glucan medicine for two weeks.

Their charity partner Solving Kids’ Cancer underwrote the amount needed to get the youngster across the pond to receive the first round, but Mrs Nash says they only have limited resources, and the family are still reliant on the fundraising for Maya to complete the treatment.

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

The five-year-old's story so far has touched the lives of hundreds of Kent residents who have organised fundraising events from theatre nights to curry evenings, and running marathons to baking cakes.

Neuroblastoma is one of the most aggressive and rare forms of childhood cancer, and early symptoms can be easily mistaken for common childhood illnesses. When Maya was first diagnosed, she endured ten cycles of chemotherapy over 20 months.

The trial, now in its third phase, consists of a year's treatment and Maya will visit New York four more times before next February to complete the vaccines.

For two years after that, Maya will need MRI scans on her head, chest, abdomen and pelvis every six months, CT scans every three months as well as a bone marrow biopsy every 12 weeks - none of which is covered on the NHS, meaning Maya will have to be seen privately.

Her mum added: "For a US doctor to look at Maya’s scan that was done in the UK, it cost $750. We are grateful for the NHS. Many people take it for granted.

"A CT scan is another cost — hence why £243,000 sounds a lot, but it is one year treatment plus up to two years of follow-up scans which the NHS won’t cover - plus flights and accommodation whilst there.

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

To donate to Maya’s campaign click 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.

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone