MORE than £25,000 has been raised to help a North Yorkshire jockey who was left partially paralysed by cancer and is battling the disease again.

Laura Barry, 24, is seriously ill in Wellington Hospital in London after being diagnosed with a rare form of nerve cancer for the second time.

Ms Barry started suffering from pain in her left leg last year and was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that attacks the nerve ducts of the spine and nervous system.

Although the tumour was treated, sadly a second was discovered last November and surgery has left Ms Barry with partial paralysis.

With no chemotherapy specific to her cancer available, her family are currently looking at possible trials treatment options abroad including proton beam therapy.

Ms Barry’s friend and fellow jockey Gemma Tutty set up a GoFundMe appeal to help fund the treatment and it has been backed by racehorse trainer Richard Fahey and jump jockey Brian Hughes who pledged the first £1,000.

After just 24-hours the fund received more than £23,000 in online donations.

Ms Tutty said: “Not many of us imagine a pain in our leg at 23-years-old could possibly lead to a cancer diagnosis, and a gruelling rollercoaster year, with multiple treatments, complications and operations.

“This time it (the tumour) was extremely difficult to remove and treat and she has been left paralysed from the hip down in her left leg from her latest surgery, and still needs treatment later this month to try and prevent the cancer from returning.”

Ms Tutty became friends with Ms Barry when riding round the world together for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak World Apprentice Series.

She is now determined to do all she can to help the talented rider back on the road to recovery.

She said: “The Injured Jockeys Fund have been brilliant and paid for all her medical fees but there’s only so much they can do.” Ms Tutty added: “Amazingly despite all of this you never hear her moaning about it, she’s always cracking jokes and having a laugh. It’s never depressing to go see her, always a pleasure.”

Ms Barry, a former apprentice to Mr Fahey, moved to Malton from her native Ireland in 2010 to pursue her riding ambitions and now lives near Northallerton.

Her riding career highlights include representing Ireland in the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak World Apprentice Series in San Francisco, and winning the Prolinx Ladies Silver Championship for the highest strike rate in a season.