A YOUNG girl with a brain tumour who is an avid Arsenal fan has received support from the club's charitable foundation.
Amelia Jones, 11, from Colchester, fought her challenging illness for months.
Through her fight, she was aided by the Spread a Smile charity during and after her long, stressful hospital stays.
The children's charity, which aims to spread joy to seriously ill children in hospitals, recently received a grant from The Arsenal Foundation due to Amelia's story.
In January 2023, after being diagnosed with Germinoma (a type of brain tumour), Amelia underwent four cycles of gruelling chemotherapy and a three-week course of Proton Beam Therapy at UCLH.
Gemma, Amelia's mum, said: "It was an extremely emotional time for us all – Amelia just wanted to be at home with her family.
"We were away from home and the rest of the family, and Amelia was often so ill we weren’t able to do anything else at all.
"Amelia rang the bell at Colchester Hospital in July 2023 to mark the end of her cancer treatment, but Spread a Smile is still supporting us and we enjoyed a family trip to the Lake District when Amelia finished her treatment.
"Seeing Amelia go through her treatment was so hard. She was so sick and there was so much worry and pain.
"Being away from the family was extremely difficult and a very lonely time for me too.
"Spread a Smile injected light back into our lives.
"They gave us something to look forward to and a place to be together again as a family. We will forever be grateful to the team."
The financial support from The Arsenal Foundation will further support families like Amelia's as the charity aims to continue bringing joy and laughter to children through a variety of entertainers, including musicians, artists, magicians, and therapy dogs.
Lucy Jackson, Spread a Smile chief executive, said: "We are immensely thankful to The Arsenal Foundation for their generous donation.
"The funding will help us spread more smiles in hospital which can make a significant difference to a child and their family during a challenging time."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here