A LITTLE girl who has fought a gruelling battle with cancer for more than half of her short life will ring a bell this month to mark the end of her treatment.

Rosa Johnson was just two years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and since then has had more than 500 doses of chemotherapy, 300 doses of antibiotics, 37 scans and 17 general anaesthetics.

Now the family, of Bishop Middleham, near Sedgefield, are looking forward to the milestone end to treatment as they know it and are planning to celebrate with a trip to Disneyland, Florida, later this year.

With further tests still to be taken, parents Danielle and Colin Johnson are relieved to have reached this stage but are entering the next stage of Rosa's cancer journey with trepidation.

"When we got our diagnosis we didn't think we would get past week one," said Mrs Johnson. "The celebration is we've got to this date and hopefully Rosa can go on to lead a long and happy life.

"She's got through all of this and we're still here as a family together. The worry is never going to leave us and we have to accept as parents that is the way it will be now."

Despite putting up a tough fight, Rosa in the last year alone has spent six months in and out of hospital, has been struck down for the second time with chicken pox, has had pneumonia and several viruses.

The little one even missed out on Christmas day after a temperature spike forced the family to rush Rosa to hospital.

"In May we thought we were going to lose her," added Mrs Johnson, who was recently presented with a carer's award from Newcastle-based Fighting All Cancers Together - nominated by parents of other children being treated at the Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI) in the city.

The family, who received the devastating cancer blow before Christmas in 2015, is calling on all those who have shown support during the last two years to 'ring a bell for Rosa' on the day she receives her final dose of chemotherapy, on January 30.

Mrs Johnson said: "Because everybody has been so supportive and amazing and has showed us nothing but love and kindness, we wanted to give them all an opportunity to see us through and to see that they have been part of that experience."

On the day Rosa, whose sister Jasmine, six, has been by her side throughout, will have her blood tested and will be put under general anaesthetic when she will have a bone marrow biopsy.

After, her parents will wait for a phone call from the hospital for the results.

If Rosa has responded well to treatment, she will continue with twice monthly hospital visits which will reduce in time but will be monitored for years to come.

Reflecting on the last two years, Mrs Johnson said: "Our children have had to witness things, like we have, and understand things they should never have had to understand. They have grown up so quickly.

"We float round in a cancer bubble and every day we are staring death in the face.

"Despite the fact we've lost lots of children (on the children's oncology ward), and they will always be remembered and have played a paramount role in our journey, we have seen more children ring the bell and go on to lead healthy and happy lives in the interim."

In the last year the family has hosted a fun day to raise funds for the RVI ward, Mr Johnson ran the Great North Run to raise awareness of childhood cancer, and Mrs Johnson is hoping to start a charity of her own this year.