A TODDLER is to have one of her ovaries removed in a battle against a rare form of cancer.

Little Esmée Todd, two, is set to go under the scalpel later this month in a bid to ensure she can have her own children in later life.

She has already gone through a blood transfusion and a bout of chemotherapy since medics discovered in June that she had a Wilms tumour.

Her mum Megan Edwards of West Swindon said: "It was heart-breaking when she was diagnosed with cancer. The main challenge as a mother is seeing the change in your child from illness. Esmée went from a very bubbly little girl to a very poorly little girl with little energy very quickly."

She explained one of the tot's ovaries was being removed to protect it.

"There is a chance of the ovaries being damaged by the treatment, so they are freezing it until she is old enough to have a baby,” she said.

Swindon Advertiser: Esmée in the hospital Credit: Megan EdwardsEsmée in the hospital Credit: Megan Edwards

But it will affect her chances of giving birth if she ever wants to start a family.

Megan took her daughter to her GP when she realised the little girl's tummy was abnormally swollen.

Following several blood tests and a scan, she was diagnosed with Wilms, a type of cancer also known as nephroblastoma.

It is a childhood cancer and around 80 in the UK are diagnosed with it every year - mainly under fives. The cause is unknown, but it is an embryonal tumour that develops from cells in the kidney that do not mature normally.The survival rate is high if only one kidney is affected.

Swindon Advertiser: Esmée is undergoing chemotherapy Credit: Megan Edwards Esmée is undergoing chemotherapy Credit: Megan Edwards

Esmée's operation on August 28 will remove her kidney and one of the ovaries.

Megan, 28, told the Adver: “There are days where Esmée does feel very unwell and will spend her days led on the sofa.

“If Esmée doesn’t want to go hospital which is very rare, I just explain to her that we are going to see the doctors to make her better. She doesn’t understand cancer because she is only two years old.

“Losing her kidney won’t affect her day to day life very much, but she has to be careful of her salt intake so she can protect the other kidney.”

Esmée is receiving treatment at the Great Western Hospital and at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

“She was taken to GWH first and transferred to Oxford as GWH can not give all the chemotherapy she needs," said the mum of four.

“She had a blood transfusion on August 15 because she has low white blood cells which increases the risk of infections. She has just finished week seven of chemotherapy. She now recognises the nurses and she is quite calm. She takes it remarkably well.

“Esmée is a happy, cheeky and very stubborn little girl that loves anything sparkly.”

Megan is on compassionate leave from her job as a care assistant because her daughter needs round the clock care.

She said: “It is hard juggling hospital and siblings. It is stressful and tiring but I just have to be very organised. My children are my strength and my advice to anyone else going through the same or similar situation is to accept help and support from family and friends.

“There are so many wonderful people that offer help for families in this situation from the doctors, hospital staff and charities. They don’t focus on just the child that is poorly but the whole family."

And to support her and her daughter, two friends Zoe Curtis and Emma Thorne have organised a fundraiser.

Zoe said: “I can see the strain it puts on the family. Esmée is going to need round the clock care as well as adjustments to make her life easier, I’m doing this to help even just a little bit.

“Both me and Emma have put our heart and soul into this event to make it a fabulous day.”

The event starts today at 12pm at The Boundary House, The Street, and will feature a tombola, BBQ and an outdoor bar being supplied by the pub.

“I think Zoe’s event is brilliant and will help Esmée a lot with things that will make her treatment period a lot easier for her,” Megan said.

Zoe and Emma have raised more than £200 on their Gofundme page. For further information visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/esmeeskylartodd