A BRAVE little girl from Christchurch who has resolutely fought off leukaemia has been made one of Cancer Research UK’s Little Stars.

Georgia Phillpot was born with Down’s Syndrome.

A year later she began suffering infantile spasms, a form of epilepsy.

Then, last April she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia.

Now, thanks to 14 months of intensive chemotherapy, a bone marrow test at Southampton General Hospital showed no sign of the disease, although it will be five years before she finally gets the all clear.

“Georgia has taught us many lessons in life: Resilience, courage, strength and fortitude,” said her mum Jo.

“Who would have thought that we would one day learn these qualities from a two-and-a-half-year-old.”

She added: “Her diagnosis came as a huge shock to us. There were some dark days, but on those days we reminded ourselves of what a fighter Georgia is.

“We got through troubled times, taking comfort in the knowledge that she was in the very capable hands of staff at Piam Brown Ward and that, through Cancer Research UK, treatments had come a long way.

“Due to her many setbacks, Georgia’s development has been severely delayed. She is unable to sit or walk unaided and manages to get about by rolling or pulling herself forward on her forearms. But we know that her fighting spirit will play an important role in her reaching future milestones and we believe Georgia stands a very good chance of beating leukaemia.”

Cancer Research UK’s Helen Johnstone described Georgia’s fighting spirit as “truly inspirational”.

About 1,500 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the late 1960s less than three out of 10 survived beyond five years. Today that figure is almost eight out of 10.