Christmas fun for brave Lena

Lena Grabowski, four, at her home in Wheatley, Doncaster has an inoperable brain tumour.

Little Lena Grabowski has endured months of gruelling chemotherapy and radiotherapy in a bid to shrink the extensive brainstem glioblastoma discovered during a family trip to Poland in September.

The youngster was devastated when medics said she may have just years to live but the family are hoping that after an MRI scan scheduled for January 5 the outlook may be more positive.

Dad Krzysztof Grabowski said: “Lena is doing really well at the minute and has even been going to school a few days a week – she’s doing great.

“We are looking forward to having a family Christmas.

“Lena has been so brave and we are so proud of her and we want to make it special for her.

“The doctors have said she is not suitable for proton therapy treatment but we are full of hope that something can be done.”

Lena’s aunty, Anna Grabowska, added: “She lost her hair and almost all her teeth during the treatment but she keeps smiling.”

The Park Primary School pupil, from Wheatley, was visiting family with her parents when the 4cm brain tumour was diagnosed after the youngster had problems with her vision.

Parents Krzysztof and Judyta Urban launched a fundraising mission to raise £75,000 to fund ground-breaking proton beam therapy abroad – a highly-targeted type of radiotherapy.

But the family were left devastated after medics said she was not a suitable candidate.

The family are hoping to use the cash they are able to raise to pay for treatment in the New Year if Lena’s New Year scan reveals the tumour has shrunk.

Since the fundraising page was launched, £36,242 has been raised.

When Lena was first diagnosed the rare tumour was said to be located too near to her spine, making an operation to remove the mass simply too dangerous.

Judyta said: “After consultation with many doctors we are coming up against the same thing – that all treatments at the moment that can be undertaken will extend the life of our child but not cure her.

“We have been told that our beloved daughter will live, in the best case scenario, one or two years from now.

“We have a long way to go and will continue in the relentless search for a cure – as any parent would.”