THE parents of critically-ill cancer patient Jasmine Charles are today praying she comes through potentially life-saving surgery.
The five-year-old will go under the knife for the first time today as surgeons attempt to remove a tumour in her kidney three months after she was diagnosed.
Her parents, Ev and Spike, yesterday drove her to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children from their family home in Winchcombe in preparation for the operation.
Little Jasmine has had to go through multiple courses of chemotherapy in the past few months in hope that it would shrink the tumour so it can be removed safely.
And she will require further treatment to kill cancerous cells for at least another year.
Her parents are holding onto hope that her life can be saved.
"We have got to be positive," said Ev, 31. "We have been waiting for this for a long time and it would be nice to finally have her tumour removed.
"She is doing really well. She is putting on weight (since her chemotherapy) and she is the bubbliest she has been for ages.
"Because it has been some time since she was diagnosed, it would be such a relief if all goes well.
"She is being very brave and she has been so strong."
Hundreds of people turned out at a fundraiser earlier this month to show their support for Jasmine.
"The event raised £700 for the cancer charity Clic Sargent, which has provided support for her family.
"It has been amazing – very touching," Ev added. "For us, the help and support has been incredible.
"It is lovely to know that Jasmine is in their thoughts.
"People are always passing their best wishes onto her. We're definitely staying positive – that's what we have to do.
"The more chemotherapy she has, the better chance we have that her tumour has shrunk enough that it can be removed.
"We just hope that it can be done.
"We're still not entirely sure what will happen, not until at least a few hours into the operation.
"It will just be good to have everything back to normal.
"It will be nice for her to be able to do simple things, like lie in the bath, splash in the pool and run through the sprinklers in the garden.
"It has been tough but, with the support we have had, we are taking every day as it comes.
"Some days she will be fine and other days she won't be but the support has made it much easier for us.
"It will just be nice to know that the tumour has been taken out and to know that she is another step closer to returning to full health."
