Tests reveal ‘Tiny Dancer’ cancer is in remission

The parents of ‘Tiny Dancer’ Lily-Mae Morrison have received “the best possible news we could ever have hoped for”, after doctors told them their daughter’s cancer is in remission.

Results of crucial tests on the five-year-old, who has Stage 4 neuroblastoma, revealed no traces of the killer disease.

The tests followed what the family described as a “nightmare 16 months” when their daughter was first diagnosed with the rare childhood cancer.

For the past six months, Lily-Mae has undergone a gruelling immunotherapy programme, as oncologists and radiologists battled to save her life.

However, yesterday, her relieved parents, Judith Sibley and Leighton Morrison, said they had more reason than ever to believe their daughter would continue to thrive and lead a happy and healthy life.

Judith said: “I’m very tired and emotionally drained after the past couple of weeks. But we are thrilled. There are no signs of cancer in her body at the moment and this really is the best possible news we could ever have hoped for. Her scans are clear and she is in remission.”

However, Judith stressed it was too early to say her daughter was cancer-free, as there is still a 70% chance she could relapse at some point in the future.

For that reason, they have enrolled Lily-Mae on a potentially life-saving clinical trial in the US, which starts next month.

The youngster, who captured the hearts of the Irish public last Christmas after the release of the chart-topping single, ‘Tiny Dancer’, will begin a two- year treatment programme which will require her to travel to the US four times a year for three days at a time.

* www.thesunnimaetrust.ie or idonate.ie/lily.