THE family of a girl battling a rare cancer say they may only have a few weeks left to raise the £500,000 needed to give her life-saving treatment.

Although the campaign to fund pioneering treatment in the US for five-year-old Fraja Simpson has reached £152,500, her family fears test results later this month may reveal she needs immediate treatment on her MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma tumour.

Her father, Garry, said: “If the scans show things have changed for the worse we will have weeks to make a decision on whether we can go to the United States for the treatments that are not available on the NHS.

“At the moment going there is not an option as we have to have the money there and then and all we could look at is a couple of small procedures here, so we are praying there is no change and that gives us an extra 90 days to reach the target.”

He said in recent weeks Fraja had developed symptoms similar to those she experienced in January, before she was diagnosed with the disease, of which there have only been two similar cases in the world previously.

The Leeming RAF Community Primary School pupil, who underwent a gruelling series of treatments before doctors decided to monitor her tumour, is set to have a series of tests at Leeds General Infirmary later this month to see whether the tumour has grown.

Mr Simpson, who is originally from Consett, County Durham, and is a flight sergeant with 90 Signals at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, said waiting for the tests was putting an unbearable strain on his family.

He said: “Her red eyes and other issues she originally had are starting to come through, but these issues could be completely unrelated to the cancer.

“Fraja thoroughly enjoys school, her friends are supportive and she is doing the best she can, but she is struggling with tiredness and you can see the worry building in her.”

The schoolgirl’s battle with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma has inspired hundreds of fundraising events across the world since she was diagnosed with the disease in January.

In recent weeks, despite her parents spending every evening and weekend working to boost the fund, the stream of donations has decreased.

Mr Simpson said: “We have no choice but to spend our time trying to raise the money, but we are getting robbed of spending the time with Fraja.”

The family is urging people to use frajaellie.easysearch.org.uk website, which generates funding from internet searches and purchases, and to email frajaellieappeal@yahoo.co.uk with fundraising ideas.

To donate, visit justgiving.com/Fraja-Ellie-Appeal, Text FEAP98 followed by the amount to 70070 or send funds to the Fraja Ellie Appeal, at Yorkshire Bank, sort code 050631, account number 35520051.