THE family of a girl who will never be classed as in remission from a rare and aggressive cancer have issued a plea for help to increase her survival chances.

Vicki Alderson said while her daughter Gaby was continuing to battle stage four neuroblastoma, activities to fundraise for treatment unavailable on the NHS should she relapse had slowed down as the 11-year-old had begun to look well.

Despite making huge strides towards being in partial remission, Gaby, will continue to face an 85 per cent chance of relapsing.

Mrs Alderson, of South Otterington, near Northallerton, said: "I know that Gaby worries about this every day, though she rarely voices it."

Consultants, who have said the position and size of Gaby's primary tumour make it too dangerous to operate on, are set to consider if she can be enrolled on a vaccine trial next year.

Mrs Alderson said: "Gaby has used all suitable options in this country, so if her disease progresses while she is on this trial, it will be highly likely we would need to go abroad for possibly life-saving treatment.

"She has suffered gruelling treatment that no child should have to endure.

"But she has, always with a smile on her face and a look of absolute determination, nothing was going to beat her."

Mrs Alderson said Gaby, a member of Knayton and Borrowby Guide Unit, had overcome her nerves about starting secondary school with very short hair, following numerous rounds of chemotherapy, and had recently been presented with the prestigious Guiding Star Award.

The former North Yorkshire Police project manager, who launched an appeal to finance the £500,000 treatment earlier this year, said while she was grateful for the £72,000 raised so far, and recent boosts from Northallerton Variety Company and Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe Inn, there were few planned fundraising events in the near future.

She said: "We are in a race against time to get the funds and the fundraising has slowed down as Gaby now looks so well."

She is hoping that South Otterington Primary School pupils taking part in the Big Sing 4 and bag-packing at Sainsbury's, in Northallerton, tomorrow (Saturday, December 13), from 4pm to 6pm, will help raise the campaign's profile.

In a drive to reinvigorate the appeal ahead of Christmas, Mrs Alderson is urging local firms to make pledges for Gaby if she does relapse by emailing gabysfund@gmail.com and for residents to donate by texting GABR78 and an amount from £1 to £10 to 70070 or visit justgiving.com/NCCAUKgabriellealdersonsjourney or nccauk.org/journey/gabriellealderson