LITTLE Madison Allan is gearing up to celebrate a belated birthday and Christmas after finishing a gruelling course of radiotherapy.

Madison, five, of Lords Crescent, Lower Darwen, was too ill for a birthday party in September, and was in hospital over Christmas and New Year after chemotherapy to treat a large tumour in her stomach.

Now, after completing a 20-day radiotherapy course at Manchester Children’s Hospital, her family are hopeful that she can make up for lost time.

Grandmother Alison Foster said: “She didn’t have a proper birthday and Christmas was an absolute right-off, so we were really keen to put something on for her to celebrate the end of her radiotherapy.

“Hopefully 50 of her friends will make it down to Top Banana’s in Darwen on March 7 for food and a party.”

Madison, who is in the reception class of Lower Darwen Primary School, has neuroblastoma - a rare childhood cancer that affects nerve cells.

Her last chemotherapy treatment failed to work, and an opeation to remove the tumour, which is wrapped around her vital organs, had to aborted because she was losing too much blood.

Mrs Foster added: “She’s had 20 radiotherapy sessions and the hospital have been amazed at how she’s done.

“When they do it they have to lie you down in a mould while everybody else leaves the room, and for someone so young she didn’t bat an eyelid.

“She’s not had any noticeable side-effects off it and she’s even been going back to school in the afternoon after the sessions every morning.

“She’s absolutely brilliant in herself at the moment, and her hair is starting to grow back too. She also had her line removed so she can move around properly and will be restarting her dance and swimming classes soon.

“We’ve got to wait six months before she can have another scan to see if the radiotherapy has worked and at the moment she’s taking pills to try and kill it off completely.”