"The hardest part was having to hold Maya down to help the nurses put the (naso-gastric) NG-tube down her nose, throat and stomach, whilst she was pleading with me to make them stop.” 

•Maya’s Story•

Maya is a beautiful and much loved six year old girl, who loves being outdoors and playing with her baby dolls. As the youngest child, she is a determined leader and enjoys bossing her siblings about! She dreams of becoming a paediatrician when she grows up, as she wants to help sick children.

One of the most frightening things about childhood cancer is how stealthy it can be. In Maya’s case, there were virtually no obvious signs at all, just unexplained lethargy and persistent fever that were always construed as the usual "viral infections". After eleven weeks of uncertainty, we (Maya's parents) heard the words that would change our lives forever. In April 2017, Maya was diagnosed with high-risk, metastatic stage 4 neuroblastoma in her left adrenal gland sitting on top of her left kidney. It is an extremely aggressive childhood cancer that affects approximately only 100 children in the UK every year. 

 “The fear upon hearing 'Your child has cancer' was so overwhelming and so gut-wrenching, it is every parent’s worst nightmare. No parent can ever imagine being told that should your child's tumour be left untreated, she would only had few weeks to live."

Overnight, we were thrown into that strange and terrifying new world where nobody would ever wish to go. Soon, Maya’s brown hair started to fall out. Maya's routine of attending nursery became a distant memory. From dancing at the children's birthday parties and singing favourite songs, Maya was suddenly attached to an array of tubes and machines, and subjected to rounds of treatments:  ten cycles of chemotherapy, additional high-dose chemotherapy, a stem cell harvest and transplant, 100% surgical resection of the tumour, radiotherapy, antibody therapy and immunotherapy. As the reality of what was happening began to sink in, we struggled with the knowledge that, even with treatment, no one could say whether our critically ill little girl would survive. 

"Everything in our world turned upside down", as Terry (Maya's Dad) recalled, "I felt, if she goes, I’m going with her."

•Easter and Christmas in Hospital• 

When most children were Easter-egg hunting or hanging up their Christmas stockings and putting out biscuits for Santa, Maya was battling gruelling treatment after treatment. Worst of all were the times I endured the terror of seeing my own daughter Maya’s little body breaking down from the treatment that I, myself (as a Mum) signed consent for.  Those 24 months were a living nightmare. We also had to move out of our rented home due to it being sold and were virtually homeless as a consequence at one point, whilst fighting for the life of our precious daughter. I vividly remember when Maya's nose was continuously bleeding for two hours and had tubes coming out of everywhere, she looked up with a worried pale face and said, ‘Mummy, why are you sad?'  At just six years old, Maya went through more than most of us do in a lifetime. 

•Maya today•

Thankfully, Maya is doing really well, strong enough to start school in September 2018, albeit numerous absences from school due to ongoing hospital appointments. But the fear of relapse is never too far away. Maya's battle with cancer is far from over. High-risk neuroblastoma returns in almost 50% of children and when it does, the chances of long-term survival drop to less than 10%. The prognosis for relapsed neuroblastoma is incredibly poor. Maya's last scan showed that she was clear of any active cancer; please help Maya stay that way. 

•Maya Nash Appeal•

We are urgently appealing for £199,000 to continue access treatment: the Bivalent Vaccine at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York, to try to increase the chances of the cancer staying away. This treatment is not available in the UK yet. We are working round the clock with family, friends, community and the wider public to raise as much money as possible. It’s so urgent that we get these funds for Maya to ensure that she has the best chance of beating this disease once and for all. If you were able to support with any fundraising or awareness-raising of the campaign, we would be so grateful, however small you may think your contribution or effort is.

Every child deserves to grow up. Let's give Maya hope, without having to live in fear of cancer coming back.

Every single day matters. It’s really urgent, she could relapse at any stage and as parents, we must do all we can to get the very best treatment for our child.

Sincere gratitude goes to Theresa Holt of Saffron Hair for their much-needed support for Maya Nash Appeal. Please join us on Sunday 1st March at 11 AM at 153A, High Street, Hythe, Kent CT21 5JL[Tel: 01303 487800, Email: saffronhairltd@gmail.com ] where I will have nine-inches of my hair cut to be donated to the Little Princess Charity who gives free wigs to little children who lost their hair from cancer treatment or other illnesses. All monies raised will go to Solving Kids Cancer Charity in aid of Maya Nash Appeal. We also welcome any donation of raffle prizes (gratefully received at Hair Saffron Hair). 

When and if 100,000 people donates £1 (or more if you can afford), Maya would receive the treatment she needs that could potentially prevent relapse. We are eternally grateful, Thank You All So Much!

Kindly  donate via this link or text MAYA £1 (or more if you can afford) to 70085 (if you’re within the UK).

We are very grateful for every help xx #onepoundwarriors for #mayanashappeal