A BRAVE young girl who showed ‘incredible courage’ after being diagnosed with leukaemia has been crowned the Little Hero of the Year.

Issy Miller, from Wareham, received the accolade at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Award ceremony in the House of Commons.

The eight-year-old, who was diagnosed with leukaemia last September, received a life-saving bone marrow transplant in December 2012.

She was nominated after making ‘wiggly bags’ in bright material for other young children to store their Hickman lines – the tubing often used in chemotherapy.

Her mum Laura said: “I can’t describe how proud I am of Issy for winning the award. She has been chirpy and positive through everything we’ve been through and is only ever concerned with helping others.”

Laura also set up a charitable group that has raised more than £7,000 for Anthony Nolan. This group, the South Dorset Friends Group, received a special commendation in the Organisational Fundraiser of the Year category at the same ceremony on Monday. After first learning Issy had been shortlisted, Laura said: “It was a publicly-nominated award so it is lovely to think that other people have nominated her.

“When I told Issy that she had been nominated for the award she literally jumped up and down and squeaked a lot.”

The Anthony Nolan charity uses its register to match potential bone marrow donors to blood cancer patients.

“Anthony Nolan means everything to us,” said Laura. “Without the charity, we wouldn’t have Issy. It’s that simple.

“I can’t describe how relieved we were to find out there was a matching donor for Issy. The transplant process is risky in itself but without it we had no hope at all.”

Anthony Nolan chief executive Henny Braund said Issy had shown incredible courage during her illness.