Appeal for Felpham girl struck with aggressive cancer

Aimee Williams has tumours in her spine and brain

‘Caring and playful’ Aimee Williams was a ‘happy and healthy’ seven-year-old until she started to feel unwell a few weeks ago, complaining of awful headaches and pains.

After tests and an MRI at St Richard’s Hospital, the Felpham family were delt the devastating news on February 3 that a 10cm tumour was growing on Aimee’s spinal cord.

An emergency operation at Southampton General Hospital managed to remove most of the growth, but some was wrapped around nerves and couldn’t be removed.

Aimee, seven, began having bad headaches a few weeks ago

Even more devastating was the news that three further, smaller, tumours had been found, two on her brain and another on her spine.

Family friend Natalie Tugwell has set up a Justgiving page, and in just days has raised more than £4,000 to support the family.

Natalie said: “It’s come as such a shock to the family. She was a healthy, happy little girl as far as we all knew until half-term.

“She complained of severe headaches and flu symptoms but there was a virus going around and her mum Traci even put it on the school forum and everyone replied saying that’s what it is.

“It’s just so terrible, she’s such a lovely, lively little girl, as friends we feel so helpless.”

Aimee’s mum, Traci Marshall, is a self-employed beautician who has had to stop running Coastal Breeze Beauty in Felpham to be at her daughter’s side, while dad Mark works away in London.

“They will have a long road ahead of them with the next steps to Aimee’s treatment and as their friends and family I have created this page so we can show our support by easing some of the financial burden and allowing them to focus fully on Aimee,” Natalie wrote on the Justgiving page. She added: “I’ve been overwhelmed with the response already.

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