THE family of a Bury schoolgirl who was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour at the age of two are backing an appeal to 'revolutionise' brain surgery for young patients.

When Ava Le Blanc was diagnosed with the tumour four years ago, her parents were told she had as little as 20-30 per cent chance of survival.

Now aged six, the Guardian Angels RC Primary pupil has been receiving treatment at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for the past four years. She has undergone five major brain surgeries, five gruelling and debilitating cycles of chemotherapy, followed by high dose chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, as well as six weeks of craniospinal radiotherapy.

Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital Charity is now launching a £4 million appeal to build a new intra-operative MRI (iMRI) scanning suite which they say will revolutionise brain surgery at the hospital.

The suite is an operating theatre with an integrated MRI scanner which will give surgeons a real-time view of the brain whilst the child is still on the operating table.

Ava’s mum Charlene said: “Nothing prepares you for the shock of getting news like that. We were absolutely heartbroken.

“Ava has been through so much but she never complains or moans. She’s so brave, she just gets on with it. It’s all she’s ever known.

“This new suite of equipment for brain surgery will make the world of difference to children like Ava, and her own journey would have been very different had the hospital had an iMRI scanner then.

“We were devastated last year when we learnt that Ava’s tumour has returned again. Following further treatment, the tumour has now reduced, so we are hopeful that it will continue to shrink and that she won’t need any further treatment.

“Ava needs regular monitoring scans and will continue to be under the care of the amazing team at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. We can’t thank them enough for everything they have done for our little girl.”

Every year, thousands of children and young people from across the region are admitted to the hospital for specialist neurological treatment, many of which require complex brain surgery for a range of debilitating and life-threatening conditions including brain tumours, traumatic brain injuries, problems with the central nervous system and epilepsy.

The hospital’s neurosurgeons rely on MRI scans taken before surgery to guide them to the area of the brain requiring treatment. However, sometimes scans need to be taken during surgery, which means the risky process of moving a child out of theatre to be scanned in another part of the hospital.

It is not until another MRI scan is taken after surgery that the neurosurgeons can see if the surgery was successful, or if any damaged tissue or tumour was left behind and more intrusive surgery is needed.

Hospital bosses say the new scanning equipment will create a more seamless procedure.

To find out more about the appeal, visit www.rmchcharity.org.uk/imri-appeal.