A brave Perth girl who is battling cancer has amazed her parents by taking part in four heats of dancing.
As we reported, nine-year-old Lily Douglas has stage four Ewing’s Sarcoma and is currently receiving treatment at Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital.
The St John’s Academy Primary pupil has amassed 80 dance trophies but she was shocked to find a sore lump on her shoulder in April. Lily was taken to her GP who then referred her to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, where medical staff found a tumour.
Brooke Robertson, who runs Inspire Dance Studios in Perth, set up a crowdfunding page which managed to raise £10,000 in just 24 hours. This was to help the Douglas family with matters such as accommodation costs during lengthy hospital visits, and the total raised is now approaching £25,000.
Lily’s mother, Jane, 47, said the whole family are immensely proud of her and revealed that the dance-loving girl is about to start her second round of chemotherapy.
“Lily recently danced four heats for each trophy at the flash freestyle competition in Glasgow’s Easterhouse and took part in the intermediate section,” she said.
“She did amazingly well as she has not danced for about six weeks. Lily never stopped once.
“It was a very hard-paced stamina dance. She was worried about what everyone would say about her hair, but she amazes me every day — I am so proud of her.”
She continued: “It was a breakthrough for my girl to go out there and dance after shaving her lovely long hair off. Trophies or not, it was about giving her the confidence to feel beautiful and to go and do the thing she loved most, which is dancing.
“It took a lot for her to get on that stage — her strength amazes me.
“We just had her bloods done and she is strong enough to have her second round of chemotherapy today. So far all is going to plan.”
Ms Robertson added: “Lily has so much to give this world and we, her dance family, are determined to help her win this battle.”
