Cancer sufferer Stacey Mowle was due to undergo a crucial medical test today (Thursday) which will decide if, and when, she is ready to go to the US for potentially life-saving treatment.

The eight-year-old has endured three days of hospital checks to see if her latest round of chemotherapy has managed to control the disease in her bone marrow.

Once doctors have the results, they will decide whether she should now be referred to the States for specialist treatment.

Stacey suffers from relapsed neuroblastoma, for which there is neither medical help in this country nor NHS funding.

Her family have been campaigning tirelessly, together with hundreds of generous supporters, to raise the £500,000 needed to pay for the treatment.

A total of £220,000 has been raised to date, and Stacey’s dad Warren, 41, has described the support they have received as “absolutely overwhelming”.

But the need for the outstanding amount is now more critical than ever as referral to the US could be imminent. The fear is that if the money is not available, Stacey will not be able to go.

“If Stacey is referred it is crunch time with funding,” said Warren, “so we need every penny we can get. The big risk is no money, no US treatment.”

If the chemotherapy has been successful and doctors decide Stacey can go to the States, it will be the start of a new journey for the Mowle family.

The youngster, who lives with her family in Trafalgar Road, Gravesend, was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma, which attacks the nervous system, in May 2010.

She underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, surgery and blood transfusions for almost two years, and in December 2011 doctors told her family that she was clear of cancer.

However, the following year came the devastating news the cancer had returned.

Having now endured more than four traumatic years watching their daughter suffer, Warren said he understood what drove the parents of Ashya King, the five-year-old with a brain tumour, to take their son from hospital against doctors’ advice.

Their actions sparked an international manhunt, leading to their arrests in Spain, but the publicity led to Ashya receiving the specialist proton therapy his parents wanted for him in Prague.

Warren said: “If you’re told by your medical team there is nothing else they can do, then as a parent surely you would seek treatment elsewhere?

“There may be a time to give up, and that decision surely comes from the parents, not a doctor that has no more resources to offer due to lack of funding.”

He added that while there was an “element of trust” in the medical profession, their own experiences as a family have led them to believe there were also “different competencies” in each hospital responsible for a child’s care.

“In August last year we were told there was no more they could do for Stacey. One year down the line we are with a different team which has cleared her bone marrow and significantly improved her condition,” said Warren.

“Although we had a setback a few weeks ago the team didn’t give up, and we continue to have hope.”

To more information on fundraising events or how to donate go to The Stacey Mowle Appeal Facebook page.