"We can’t do this without you," mum appeals as little Dulcie faces new cancer treatment

Debbie O'Kelly's bubbly daughter, seven year old Dulcie, from Lawley, is battling stage 4 neuroblastoma and has gone through so much in her short life since being diagnosed more than a year ago.

Taylor Swift-fan Dulcie's most recent bout of treatment, in Leeds, has managed to get her to a certain level but it now needs an extra boost to see the back of the disease. At the moment Dulcie is her bubbly self and able to join her friends at school but the pictures belie the seriousness of her condition.

Debbie is also launching an appeal to add more momentum to her fundraising just in case even more treatment is needed and she has to go abroad to get it. They have just passed the £101,000 mark but may need as much as £250,000.

"Dulcie will now move on to her second clinical trial but her fifth frontline treatment," said Debbie in a social media post on Facebook and Instagram. "I was once told that every time she starts a new frontline treatment her odds of beating this horrible disease reduce even more but I refuse to accept this. I KNOW SHE WILL BEAT THIS."

Debbie said the clinical trial is called MiNiVAn and it’s conducted via University College in London, and at Southampton will start with her being isolated for five weeks starting in the school summer holidays.

"I have been telling my friends that the radiation will turn her into a walking Chernobyl and she will become radioactive and won't be able to leave," Debbie said.

"We have toys that Dulcie loves but she won't be able to take them with her, or if she does she won't be able to bring them back because they will be so irradiated."

Thankfully Debbie says she will be able to hug her daughter but only while she wears overalls.

"I can hug her whenever she needs me," said Debbie.

The second half of Dulcie's treatment will take place in Southampton and that will last until next March, which in a worse case scenario is when they may have to look at going for treatments abroad because they are not carried out in the UK.

The good news is that Dulcie's army of supporters, followers and friends has managed to crack the £100,000 fundraising level.

Most recently the success of the Summer Fest in Lawley has boosted coffers, with proceeds split between Dulcie and Telford Crisis Support.

But Debbie adds: "We have been through some very dark days but we had some amazing fun-filled sunshine days too. We have bad news after bad news and treatment after treatment but are still nowhere near to where she needs to be but the one thing that remained throughout is her sunshine dimpled smile.

"So please share our story, tag anyone and everyone with the hopes that we can get some real traction behind our campaign. We can’t do this without you."

The charity Solving Kids Cancer UK has a fundraising site for Dulcie where donations can be made at solvingkidscancer.org.uk/children/dulcie