THE family of a six-year-old girl battling cancer have said a massive thank-you for the overwhelming support they have received.

Little Safa Mehrban, from Granville Street, Blackburn has bounced back from having a sizeable tumour removed from her brain last October to return to St Silas CE Primary.

Her mother has now asked people of all faiths to include her daughter, who is ‘always smiling and full of joy and positivity’, in their prayers as she continues her fight.

Safa, who lives with mum Sobia, dad Faisal, 32 and younger brother and sister Subhaan, five, and Anum, three, had no previous health problems until she suffered headaches and lethargy in October last year.

Sobia, 29, said: “I took her to the doctors and hospital four or five times but was told it was a viral infection.

“I knew my daughter and that she wasn’t well, she had lost half her weight and was in pain.

“Eventually they did a scan in Blackburn and found a 6.5cm by 5.5cm tumour in her brain.”

Safa was taken by ambulance to Manchester Children’s Hospital for an immediate operation and her family were told to prepare for the worst.

She battled through the traumatic surgery only to spend another three months in hospital, much of it in intensive care.

Safa, who is described by her mum as being ‘very calm and happy’ and enjoys writing and creating art, was paralysed down her right side after the surgery, but intensive physiotherapy has seen her regain mobility.

But subsequent oncology results revealed she still has cancer in her brain.

Despite chemotherapy and radiotherapy sessions at Christies Hospital in Manchester, Safa has returned to school, an environment in which she thrives and is ‘happy and content with her many friends’.

Plans are also being made for a special seventh birthday party for her next month.

Sobia said: “Everyone at St St Silas has been amazing, all the staff have made sure everything that can be done to help Safa has been put in place.

“She adores going to school, the atmosphere of love and support there makes her time the happiest in can be.

“Staff at the school have even formed a group to attend to her needs. To myself and Faisal the teachers are now firm friends after all the support they have given us.

“One thing I would request to people is if they could spare a moment for Safa in their prayers as that would give us great comfort.”

On Tuesday, the school organised a community afternoon, which hundreds of children and parents attended.

As well as several stalls, children were able to have a picture with Elsa from Frozen and enjoyed a barbecue.

A total of £1,000 was raised at the event for the Ronald McDonald House in Manchester, which has given immense support to the family, they said.

The charity, which is located near the children’s hospital, gave accommodation and support to Sobia and Faisal during the two months their daughter was in hospital.

Faisal, who has temporarily left his job as a plumber to look after Safa and the family, said: “It is a fantastic place which made a terrible and traumatic time for us a little more bearable.

“One of us was with Safa in the hospital 24 hours a day for weeks on end so having a room there gave a place to rest and a little peace as previously we’d been staying in the hospital.

“It wasn’t just the accommodation it was the staff, they were there for us at any time and couldn’t do enough to help us.”

At St Silas, classes say Safa’s prayer every day and she is allowed to arrive and leave dependent on how she feels.

The school also allow her to have an intimate tea party at lunchtime which her brother and sister, cousins and friends in her classroom, which is monitored by staff within the school.

Michelle Battersby, headteacher at St Silas Primary, said: “Safa is feisty and determined to succeed in her learning.

“She is well loved and cared for by children and staff alike.

“Safa just wants to be treated as a normal little girl when in school and that’s what we do every day.”